Dance With the Devil
by Siegrain
Summary: Cross is the only daughter of Satan-created artificially from Rin Okumura's DNA for the sole purpose of becoming the perfect weapon for the True Cross Order. However, Satan himself has other plans for this "empty flameless shell." Full summary inside!
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN AO NO EXORCIST, BLUE EXORCIST, OR ANY OTHER EXORCIST IN THIS STORY (or any other characters). I do own my OCs however. Please do not use them without permission if you ever intend to do so! **n_n

**GENRES: Adventure/Humor/Friendship.**

**WARNING!**

***May contain hints of yaoi. **

***No severe swearing.**

***I am in no way responsible for any emotional scars you may receive during the course of this fic.**

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><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

Cross Okumura is the only daughter of Satan. Created artificially from Rin Okumura's DNA in a lab and imprisoned for the past fifteen years, her sole purpose is to become the ideal weapon for the True Cross Order.

Cross herself is as clueless as a bag of kittens to all of this.

She is considered "defective" as she has the appearance of a demon, but is unable to use Satan's flames, which is key in her becoming a weapon. However, when Satan learns of her existence, he considers her the perfect vessel for him to take over Assiah with, as he believes she is nothing more of an empty shell; she will not die if he possesses her.

Will this artificial demon be able to find her flames-more importantly, her human heart, before Satan makes his move?

Take my hand, lovely readers, and prepare to enter into the world of demons and demise!

_"The demon who hungers for Satan's defeat, the human who is Satan's son, and the girl who Satan wishes to possess."_

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><p><strong>Dance with the Devil<strong>

**Prologue**

"_**Assiah**__, the realm of humans, and __**Gehenna**__, the realm of demons. Normally, these two dimensions would never intersect, but having possessed all material substances, the demons are now intruding on the material world. But among the human race, there are those who can exorcise such demons — the Exorcists."_

"_Hahah, yeah. Standing over Satan's spawn day and night is pretty boring, but what can you do, right?"_

She clenched her fists against the walls, digging her nails into her palms. The silver shackles on her hands rattled and clanged in protest to the sudden force, but refused to release her from their icy hold.

"_She's Satan's spawn, but she can't even use any flames. She's defective."_

Her lips began to tremble and her thin frame quivered slightly. Her head hung low, nearly touching the floor, and her long navy hair shadowed her facial features; she did not like being seen in such a state.

_I'm… defective. Defective. _She shook her head in an attempt to brush the thoughts aside, but to no avail. _No good as a demon... Is there a place for a defective demon in a world like this?_

Those unpleasant thoughts had tortured her, haunted her for so long; those people behind the glass constantly ridiculed her. Slowly, she raised her head to look up at her observers with solemn blue eyes. She could hear them talking about her again.

"Why is the Order keeping her here anyway? I thought she was ordered to be executed a while ago by the Vatican," a blonde guard grumbled to his other companions. He made it obvious to everyone that he detested her very existence, and that he would much rather have her dead.

_Blondie_. The girl nodded, approving of the nickname she had given him.

Five other guards stood beside Blondie chatting idly to each other. They were all standing behind bullet-proof glass screening, reinforced by AAA-Grade holy water. As far as they were concerned, they were completely protected from her.

She huffed in annoyance and flicked her tail. She hated holy water. It burned and irritated her skin like a branding iron covered in itching powder. As for the bulletproof glass… was she really _that_ dangerous? Either way, it was true—they were completely out of her grasp.

The other guard—a brunette—shrugged in response to his friend's comment and took a swig of coffee from his mug. "Beats me. It was an order from the higher-ups." He glanced at the demon nonchalantly before adding, "I hear they have another one just like her at the True Cross Academy."

She blinked once. _Brownie_.

"Huh," the blonde guard huffed. "It makes me wonder what they're planning. Are they going to blackmail Satan or something?" Brownie laughed at his friend's statement dryly. "What's so funny?"

Brownie put his mug down on one of the wooden desks and leaned back against the glass screening. "I honestly doubt _Satan_ would care if we executed his spawn or not."

She hung her head and stared blankly at the concrete floor.

_My own father. Satan. It's his fault everyone hates me…_

She bore her fangs at the ground below, hissing softly to herself. "I do not think ignorance is bliss. Not at _all_."

All she knew was that her father's name was Satan, and that he was a demon like her—a very powerful demon who used blue flames. Was she considered a "defective" demon because she could not use blue flames like her father could? Or like the "other one," whoever that was.

She whipped her head up when she heard a sudden commotion behind the looking glass. The lights had been turned off in the small, protected room. A tall, thin silhouette seemed to have intruded the area and was discussing something with five other silhouettes—her guards.

And then they fell to the floor.

The silhouette dusted itself off and tipped its hat to the now fallen soldiers, and slowly made its way to the large, steel doors that were the gateway to her prison.

_Is this where it ends? Am I going to die here without doing anything? _She shook her head and grief found its way into her heart. _I have no past. And now… I'll have no future. What a cruel existence this has—_

She was torn away from her thoughts at the sound of the heavily reinforced doors opening before her. A man clothed in white entered the room slowly; the sound of his footsteps echoed across the dark, concrete prison. She widened her eyes with curiosity to see who the man was and to analyze him, as it was in her nature to observe everything around her.

He wore a pristine white ringmaster coat with obnoxiously large red buttons. A pair of poofy white shorts with red-and-white-candy-cane leggings underneath decorated his lower half, and a long, white cape trailed behind his body as he approached her. The pink parasol dancing in his right hand amused her to some extent, and she watched the foreign object intently, enamored by its bright colors.

She stared at it dumbly—that is, until she realized the footsteps had stopped.

She recoiled when she realized the man had come to stand not a foot before her while she had been occupied by his colorful-stick-thing. She looked up at him fearfully with wavering blue eyes and shrunk back against the wall, causing her silver chains to rattle rather loudly in the suddenly silent atmosphere.

He tipped his tall, white top-hat to her and smiled at her as if he knew a very… _delicious_ secret. He extended his left hand towards her and exclaimed, "Hello my good lady! It is a pleasure to see you again, don't you agree?"

She stared at his hand blankly for a moment, but recognized it as a welcoming gesture as she had seen her guards shake hands many times before to greet each other. However, she could very well not shake his hand as hers were shackled against the wall, so she snaked her tail out and tapped the end against his palm.

The man arched his brow, but shook her tail nonetheless. "Oh my." He wiped his hand off against the side of his coat and pushed his top-hat back from his forehead. He looked down at her, amusement dancing in his emerald eyes. "Well, it's comforting to see that you have learned some manners in the very least!"

She tilted her head slightly and perked her pointed ears up. "You are?" she asked curiously, wagging her tail from side-to-side. She noted that his hair color was a slightly lighter shade of navy than her own, and that he had a small amount of hair growing out from his chin. How strange.

He grinned devilishly and placed his left hand across his chest as he bowed to her. "Ah yes, my name is Mephisto Pheles. I am from the True Cross Order." He folded his parasol, gestured to her, and winked in one quick, flowing movement. "…And I've come to take you with me."

Her eyes flickered up to meet his own and she stared at him in wonder, trying to process the statement he made. "Take me… with you?" she repeated in confusion.

"Indeed!" Mephisto nodded enthusiastically. "…But I have one question before I can take you away from here." He grinned with satisfaction when determination dawned upon the demon's face—it was the same expression he had seen before. How _Nostalgic_.

She pondered the words he had said to her. What kind of question would this be? She had very little knowledge of the outer world—or of anything for that matter. But she was oh-so-willing to leave her icy prison; her home for the past fifteen years.

"What would you do…" he said each word slowly; deliberately. "…If you had power?"

Mephisto knew how to reach the weak point of every distraught person he encountered—such was his gift. He knew their deepest desires, their strongest wants. Yes, for Rin Okumura, becoming an exorcist was his greatest desire; to kill Satan himself. But what this girl wanted was…

"I'd use my power against Satan. I won't be... a victim."

Mephisto smiled and shadowed his eyes with his hat."I see." The silver shackles on the girl's wrists fell to the ground, setting her free for the first time in her entire existence. Mephisto outstretched his arm to the demon, a devilish grin spread across his lips.

"_Good answer._"

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><p>…<em>Another piece enters my wonderful game...<em>

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><p><strong>Questions? Comments? Criticism? If so, please leave them in the review panel!<strong>

**Thank you very much for reading _Dance With the Devil!_**


	2. Chapter 1: Demon Masters and Demon Kings

**AN: **Well, it's been what? Over two weeks since I updated? Sorry to keep you all waiting! I had been focusing on my other fic, but I think I'll be focusing on this one from now on because of my strange obsession with AnE.

I know there's not much to review on yet, so it's understandable that the count is so low, but I enjoy reading your opinions, and it would mean a lot if you left a review.

One last thing! I create images for every OC in my fanfics, so if you would like a reference for their appearance, look no further than my profile page.

Thank you, and happy reading everyone!

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><p><strong>Dance with the Devil<strong>

**Chapter 1: Demon Masters and Demon Kings**

"Mephisto…"

Mephisto sat cross-legged on the opposite end of the limo, whistling a randomly arranged tune to himself. He directed his attention away from the window momentarily and arched his brow, interrupting her statement halfheartedly. "You really shouldn't be using my name without an honorific, you know. It's considered rude."

The girl appeared to be puzzled by the statement—what was an honorific? Well, she didn't want to appear rude, so it couldn't hurt to just _try_. "Well yes, Mephisto-chan, but…"

The chairman looked at her with eminent distaste and cringed deep inside his head. _Chan_. "I'm afraid that won't do." Mephisto-_chan_? If anyone had heard _that_, it would have definitely ruined his social standing. Could she have possibly chosen an honorific that was any worse? He rubbed his forehead with his fingers and sighed. _What a troublesome little sister. _"Didn't they teach you anything about honorifics in that facility?"

A brief pause ensued as she took a moment to think about it. Oh, who was she kidding?

"No."

"Well then, you sure have a ways to go, don't you?" Mephisto laughed teasingly, adjusting the spotted handkerchief around his neck. The girl appeared to be baffled by the statement, and fumbled with it in her mind, trying to decide which manner he had meant it.

It was silent in the transport for a moment, and Mephisto took the time to devise all the fun he could possibly have with a clueless demon—_Satan's_ clueless demon. He grinned to himself and looked out the window. At this point she was like fresh molding clay; he could make her become whatever he wanted her to be.

As he was thinking through all the things he could possibly make her do, he suddenly remembered a vital question he had forgotten to ask her. "Pardon my rude behavior!" he exclaimed suddenly, causing her to flinch in surprise. "But what is your name?"

She looked at him in puzzlement—that is, she tried to—and opened her mouth to speak. Names were what people called you, right? "Number Fifteen," she responded in a monotone.

Mephisto arched his brow and blinked at her with amusement. "That isn't exactly a name. You don't have one?"

"Well—"

"—Just as I thought!" Mephisto tapped his fingers against the back of his seat, trying to devise a name for the nameless demon. He was enthusiastic about the idea; naming a demon was considered a high privilege in Gehenna, and a majority of the time only Satan himself was allowed to do such a thing—not to mention nameless demons only appeared once-in-a-red-moon.

The she-demon sat patiently in her red leather seat, waiting for him to continue. She snuggled further back into the seat. It was heavily padded and felt very soft against her back, which was used to leaning against hard concrete walls. She felt contented in the closed, warm space. She felt at ease.

Mephisto suddenly snapped his fingers, causing the girl to flinch yet again, and his face lit up with a toothy grin. "Ah! How about… we name you Cross?" he suggested cheerily.

The girl tilted her head to the side in question, pondering the name he had suggested. She didn't mind it that much, and she thought that it would be an easy enough name for her to remember. "…Cross?"

The chairman folded his arms across his chest and quickly pushed his top-hat back from his forehead. "It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" He raised his left hand up to gesture at the window and explained, "You'll be staying at the True Cross Academy—which I own—and practicing there. Naturally, naming you Cross makes sense, doesn't it?"

She wagged her tail happily, giving him a quick nod. "Ah yes! I see it now!"

"You can even be our academy's mascot if you want!"

She paused for a moment and opened her mouth in thought. Mascot? What was a mascot? A type of food, maybe? _Let's see… Mascot… Mascot sounds like… butterscotch? _ She placed her hand behind her head and tediously worked at decoding the meaning behind Mephisto's statement. _If mascot is like butterscotch… And butterscotch is tasty… _She briefly remembered the one time when the keepers at her facility had let her try some of the sweet substance. She gripped the sides of her head in shock and shook her head from side-to-side. Why would Mephisto want her to be the academy's food?

"_**Ehh!**_"

Mephisto laughed loudly at her bewilderment and returned to looking out the window. Not only was she going to be a valuable piece to him, but he could also get a kick out of toying with her at the same time. Two birds with one stone!

"Mephisto-chan?" Cross asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"Hm?"

She fidgeted in her seat restlessly and motioned to her head using her tail. "Why do I have to wear a blindfold?"

"Ah yes, I almost forgot! Just a few more seconds." He began counting down with his fingers, "Eins, Zwei… Drei! Behold my lovely True Cross Academy!" he exclaimed, lowering the windows of the limo with the single press of a button. Cross tore the blindfold away from her eyes and set it down carefully in her lap before turning to look out the windows. Mephisto stared blankly as a look of sheer horror came over her face and she shrunk back into her seat. "Oh my."

Her eyes widened further, causing her pupils to shrink, and she pointed at the masses of water that surrounded the Academy town. "_Water_…" she squeaked.

Mephisto rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "It seems like it, doesn't it?"

"S-So much water! Why is there so much holy water here? Mephisto-chan, this is terrible!" Cross cried, suddenly cowering beneath his feet.

Mephisto chuckled to himself and pat the girl's head reassuringly. Oh, he knew she was clueless, but not _this_ clueless! He decided that he might as well have a little fun—_just a little_."Yes, what you see there is the largest pool of holy water in the world!" He held in a round of laughter when Cross began trembling on the limo's floor, and couldn't help but continue. "Be sure not to fall in, or it'll _burn you right up_."

Cross nodded in obedience and placed her hands over her head. Holy water was so itchy and irritating and was one of the only things she seriously despised. "I promise I won't go near it!" she practically yelled out.

The chauffeur driving Mephisto's limo couldn't help but spare a glance back at the commotion behind him, although what he saw was quite bewildering. It seemed as though the girl they had brought with them was scratching up the seats and running around wildly in the confined space, while Mephisto sat calmly rubbing his forehead as if he had nothing more than a slight headache.

"_Mephisto-chan_! I changed my mind! Take me back!"

"…That's not the correct honorific."

The driver shook his head and turned his attention back to the road. He would never understand the chairman.

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><p><em>Whump.<em>

"Control yer flames, Rin! Yer not gonna help anyone by barfin' fire up on 'em!"

_Whap!_

"Oi, you're not helping me by hitting _my_ head with _my_ sword!"

Rin sat with his legs crossed on the floor, facing what was once a set of five candles—but currently nothing more than a puddle of melted wax. He rubbed the back of his head, aggravated at receiving yet _another_ head injury, courtesy of his trainer, Shura. He knew being trained by a self-absorbed, red-headed, easily-annoyed, higher-ranked exorcist was not going to be a simple walk in the park, and even when he made progress, the only—slightly—positive response he would receive from her was getting another candle added to the batch.

Sure, he had progressed from lighting two candles out of a set of three to a set of five—and in a single stroke at that—but according to Shura, "_It doesn't matter if yer got a hundred candles there. If yer melt even a single person with yer flames, yer not gonna be able to fix it. So focus, yer idiot!" _and then he'd promptly receive a whack to his head.

"Don't ya move even a single inch," Shura commanded as she strode off towards the back of the training room. She was dressed in clothing that would put even the sleaziest of woman to shame, although nobody ever seemed to complain about it. They probably wanted to avoid receiving a life-threatening injury from the crazy woman.

It was obvious by the way her brow twitched that he was trying her patience—that is, if she had any in the first place. So what if he forced her to spend half her wages on candles? And so what if he had already melted well over… okay, maybe he had melted a _lot_ of candles. But controlling flames wasn't as easy as it had sounded at first.

Rin's sword, Koumaken, clanked against Shura's shoulder as she walked—a constant reminder that she was currently holding the sole keepsake his father had left for him, and commanded him to hold on to at all times. The woman spared him an amused glance before disappearing around the corner of the doorway. "I'm getting more candles—and ya better not burn 'em this time! Capish?" she yelled from the next room over as she fumbled through her bags filled with "training devices."

Rin ran his fingers through his navy hair and grimaced at the puddle of wax on the floor. _Is this really going to cut it? _He shuffled restlessly on the wooden boards, subconsciously beginning to stand up. He just wasn't the type of person to sit around picking his ear when there were better things to do. How long did it take to get a few candles from the room next door anyway?

Just as he was about to move, he heard a set of footsteps coming from around the corner of the doorway. Quickly sitting himself back down and putting on the best innocent façade that he could possibly manage, he then crossed his legs and called out in a panicky tone, "I didn't move an inch Shura, see! I didn't get up or anything!"

"You definitely moved, didn't you, Nii-san?" A tall teen with brown hair and cyan eyes came from around the corner, waving at Rin teasingly. He wore a heavy, black teacher's coat with the usual male uniform underneath, and a leather ammo belt around his waist. Even though he was the same age as Rin, he was already qualified as a teacher in Exorcism. There was a high possibility that he was the world's youngest Exorcist.

Rin sighed with relief at the sight of his twin brother and gave him a toothy grin. "Oh, Yukio! What are you doing here?" It was unusual for Yukio to watch him practice this late in the afternoon; usually he'd be busy evaluating his class' work, or doing class work of his own.

Yukio slid his square-framed glasses further up his nose before explaining, "The chairman gave me a period off from work to meet with him. I just dropped by to see how you two were doing." His mind wandered off for a moment before he realized that a certain Exorcist was also not in the room. "Oh. Where is Shura-san?"

"Miss me, Scaredy-cat-four-eyes?" Shura teased as she came around the corner, lugging a cloth sack filled to the brim with candles. She had a conceited smirk plastered across her face, and had suddenly taken the liberty of tying her hair up into two separate ponytails since her hair was getting too thick to be tied up into only a single one.

"Scaredy" looked at her with a hint of annoyance blossoming in his eyes. "R-Really… I think you're mistaken, Shura-san." She had always been calling him "Scaredy-cat-four-eyes" ever since they were little—even when they were training together with father Fujimoto at the Exorcist cram school, much to his dislike.

Shura dropped the bag of candles next to Rin, still smirking, and poked Yukio's shoulder playfully with her finger. She had always been a touchy-feely type of person with him. "Nope, it's yer. Still yer, until you beat me."

"I don't think I'm up to it at the moment—and I wouldn't be able to right now anyway," he added hastily, preparing to make a dash out the doorway. "I have a meeting to attend."

"Yukio! Let me come too!" Rin called out eagerly, not wanting to endure another second of Shura's "Special Training." His face fell when Yukio shook his head to disagree with him. "Plleeeaaase?"

"Sorry Nii-san," Yukio apologized automatically, almost as if he had rehearsed what he was going to say. "But the chairman said I was to meet with him alone."

Shura placed her hands on her hips and began laughing hysterically. "Oho! Scaredy's going to have a _meeting_ with the chairman, is he? _My, my_," she teased, giving Yukio one of her famous "_I-really-love-embarassing-you" _smiles.

"…I'll be going now."

Rin watched with envy as his brother promptly walked out of the room, leaving him alone with Shura once again. He had to admit that he was jealous. Yukio could go anywhere he pleased without anyone objecting, while Rin had to be watched like a toddler under the watchful eyes of his "superiors."

"Well, I'm leaving it to yer," Shura grumbled as she strode off towards the back of the room, probably to either practice her batting skills—which was highly unlikely—or take a nap.

Rin stared blankly at the bag of candles to his right; was he supposed to set them up again? –and wasn't Shura supposed to be the one training him? "Oi! Is this even allowed?" he hollered in the suddenly empty room.

"_What're yer? How're yer going to become the greatest Exorcist if yer can't even set up a few candles? Yer an idiot."_

Rin cursed under his breath and began setting up the candles in the bag. "Ooouuuu… _Bastard_…"

"_I can hear yer!"_

"I'm setting them up! _Geez_."

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><p>Mephisto opened the door of his office, nearly dragging his terrier-form across the floor. He looked back with sleepy eyes at the oblivious, dense, teenaged demon behind him, who eyed the room with fascination. He never imagined getting a single, helpless girl across a small stretch of pavement would be so… <em>challenging<em>. Every time she laid her eyes upon a fountain or any amount of water—even in water bottles for crying out loud—she would run off in the opposite direction crying, _"I'll be good! I promise!" _In the end, Mephisto ended up having to transport her along in one of his "_boxes," _even though she protested against it.

Cross gaped and observed the office with shining, wide eyes. The walls were a beautiful golden color, and the large, elegant windows were all framed by dark, polished wood. It seemed as though the room was designed to be very regal-looking, seeing as how almost every piece of furniture was trimmed with gold and colored red, yellow, or brown. She had never seen anything so elegant and pretty.

"Mephisto-chan, this is…!" she gasped, blinking several times to make sure she was seeing properly.

"We must do something about that." With a puff of smoke, Mephisto reverted back into his normal human form, tapping his foot against the desk he was suddenly sitting on. "It just won't do."

Cross flicked her tail and cautiously sat herself in one of the upholstered chairs in front of the desk. "What's the matter, Mephisto-chan?" she asked concernedly, tilting her head. She flinched in surprise when Mephisto snapped his fingers suddenly, and turned to grin at her slyly.

He touched the tip of her forehead with a gloved finger and poked her several times in hopes of making her understand. "That. That is what's wrong. We can't have you calling me Mephisto-chan everywhere; it's very impolite and unseemly." There was also another fact he just _had_ to establish. "Even more so because I am your superior."

A minute of silence. And then:

"…So what should I call you?"

Mephisto mentally grinned to himself and flicked his top-hat back from his forehead; that was the question he had been waiting for. He reached down onto his desk and took a sip from a cup of tea that seemed to have appeared out of thin air. After placing the cup down calmly, he folded his arms across his chest and announced, "From now on, you shall refer to me as _Master_—and only I. Is that clear?"

Cross nodded understandingly and saluted him from her seat. "Yes Master, right away." If calling this man "Master" was respectful—and made her seem polite—then she would do it without hesitation. She also owed him for bringing her to this academy, so she had no objections whatsoever. She could nearly feel the immense satisfaction radiating from his body as he pranced past her to the doorway.

"Now then, if you would please wait here while I attend some personal matters. You can play around in there, but _don't touch anything on my desk. _Oh, and do not leave this room, open the doors, the blinds, or the windows."

He walked out into the hallway, closing the door behind him, and she heard him say, "_Eins, Zwei, Drei!_" before running off down the hall.

Cross eagerly jumped out of her seat and began inspecting the various pieces of furniture in the room.

The first item she came upon was an intricate device that radiated light from beneath a heavy cover, and stood on top of a wooden side table. She poked the cover curiously, causing it to rock back and forth. Wonder and fascination blossomed in her eyes as she continued rocking the lamp shade back and forth, but before she knew it, the lamp fell back. Luckily, she caught it with her tail before it hit the ground, and quickly placed it back on the side table.

"This is a dangerous thing," she said, fearfully turning away from the lamp.

She came upon her next victim—a large, padded piece of furniture with red cushions and golden pillows. She sniffed daintily at the seats; they smelled sweet—almost like candy. She knelt in front of the couch with her nose plastered to the cushion and her eyes slowly began glazing over.

_It smells so good, _she thought, entranced by the smell.

She quickly recovered when she realized the scent was hypnotizing her, and she immediately turned away from the object, flicking her tail disdainfully.

"Don't smell good to attract people!" she chided the piece of furniture, almost as if it were a living thing.

As she continued her exciting exploration of Mephisto's office, carefully avoiding anything near or on his desk, she did not notice that a dark figure was watching her from somewhere in the room.

"…"

It continued to watch her as she circled around the area, scanning every object and deeming it as safe or dangerous. Cross stiffened when she sensed the pair of eyes on her, and looked around the room for the observer. She checked behind every piece of furniture, even going so far as to look beneath the sofa by raising it off the floor. She exhaled with relief when she didn't find anyone, and was about to return to her exploration when her eyes chanced upon the ceiling.

And there hung a boy, watching her with impassive blue eyes.

"A-A-K-Kayayaya!" she spluttered, flinching back into the corner. She turned away from the boy and huddled against the wall. _That scared me. _

"You're new." The boy dropped down from the ceiling and landed flat on his feet. He stood silently in place with mild curiosity as the girl attempted to recover from shock.

Minutes later, Cross turned away from the corner and looked up at the boy—who stood a good three meters away from her. He had tired blue eyes with oddly shaped eyebrows placed above, and hair that was two different shades of dark green. It was styled up into a sharp point at the top, and two pointed ears stuck out from the sides of his head. He vaguely reminded her of a green carrot. He wore a black jacket over a red-and-black striped dress shirt with a striped tie. A simple pair of black dress pants covered his legs, as well as black, pointed shoes on his feet.

Cross wagged her tail and looked up at him curiously; she had never seen a person like him before. "Who are you?" she asked with a cheery smile, placing her hands on the carpet in front of her.

The strange boy rolled a lollipop around in his mouth for a moment and stared at her with a deadpan expression, creating an awkward pause. He blinked once before taking the sweet out and replying. "…Who are you?"

Cross looked at him questioningly and leaned forward. _Those were my words! _She decided to play his game and stared at him with the same deadpan facial expression as he placed the lollipop back in his mouth. She motioned at him with her tail and repeated with a slight edge in her voice, "Who-are-youuuuuu?"

"…Who are you?" he echoed, still turning the lollipop in his mouth.

She stared at him dumbstruck, not knowing how to get the boy to respond properly to her question. _What? He won't tell me—he's being rude! I should probably tell Master. _She wracked through her brain, subconsciously giving the boy an impassive stare, as she tried to find a way to communicate with him.

_Wait a tic!_

"Oh!" she gasped, blue eyes ablaze with enthusiasm. "You have to tell me, because I asked first." That would definitely show him!

Taking the lollipop out of his mouth yet again, he motioned to his chest with a finger and responded, "Okay. I'm Amaimon, a demon king. Nice to meet you."

Cross' jaw dropped at the words "demon" and "king." She knew kings were important people, and not only that, but he was a demon like her! The only other demon she had ever met was Master Mephisto—and she had only just met him today. "Demon… _King?_"

Amaimon blinked. "Yes, that's right. You're a demon too, aren't you?" He noticed that the girl was ogling at the sweet in his hand, and it didn't seem like she was going to reply without getting one any time soon. He fished out another one of the suckers from his pocket and held it out to her.

"Here. You can have it if you'd like."

Almost instantaneously she appeared in front of him, attracted by the sweet aroma of the foreign substance. At this point, she was mostly relying on her natural instincts as a demon, and those instincts were practically screaming out for the delicious scent. She reached out toward his hand cautiously, just in case he was trying to do something… weird. When he didn't make any sudden movements, she plucked the candy from his hand and took it in her own, eyeing it from different angles.

She smiled up at the boy cheerily after she had finished observing the item, and wagged her tail. "Thank you Mamon!" That was his name, right? Well, at least now she had her own sweet thing—maybe this person wasn't scary after all.

"Amaimon." He took the white candy stick from his mouth and tossed it in the trash bin, subsequently drawing out another from his coat pocket. It was obvious that the demon was a candy-lover and candy-_loaded_.

Cross chomped down on the sweet, wrapper and all, and furrowed her brow. "Amaimon," she repeated, although the name was slightly distorted by the fact that her mouth was occupied with candy at the moment.

"You're welcome."

The two demons stood in the middle of the room in silence, and the only sound that could be heard was Cross' teeth biting down on hard candy, attempting to rip off the wrapper around it. Amaimon watched her with interest as she continued to battle with the plastic wrapper, spitting out whatever pieces she could get off into the trash bin.

Ultimately, she gave up on trying to devour the item, and pulled it from her mouth in defeat. "Amaimon," she grumbled. "Mine's different."

Amaimon reached out to steal the lollipop away from her hands, and held it up in front of her. "It's like this, see?" he explained, reaching under the ball of candy to untwist the wrapping. He easily slid the covering off and disposed of it, then handed the lollipop back to her nonchalantly. She had been watching his lesson with fascination; her pupils were about three times their normal size.

Cross eagerly took the candy back and popped it back into her mouth. The moment her taste buds made contact with the sugary ball, her tail twisted in delight, and her eyes sparkled and shone in response to the unimaginably sweet flavor. "Wow! It's really yummy…!" she trailed off, rolling the lollipop in her mouth as she had seen Amaimon do.

She was absorbed in her sugary-unicorn-rainbow trance, and hardly took notice of when Amaimon came closer to her, eyeing her out of curiosity. He blinked when there was no response out of her—except for drooling over the candy—and went around to her back. He had to admit that he was curious; he had never heard of or seen her in either Gehenna _or_ Assiah, and that was hardly usual. Even his father and brother had never mentioned anything about her.

He laid his eyes upon her tail and scratched the side of his head; father's tail looked a little like this. Although, this person was a girl, so naturally the fur on the end would be softer… and fluffier. He gave the fur-tipped tail a light tug, immediately bringing the she-demon out of her trance. Cross yelped involuntarily and wrapped her tail around her waist, turning around to look at him angrily.

_Nobody touches my tail but me! _

She hugged her tail against her body and whined, "This is my tail! Pull your own!" She stuck her tongue out at him and turned away childishly, stalking off to the other side of the room.

A ghost of a smile crept onto Amaimon's normally expressionless face. He rolled the candy in his mouth and stared after her. She was amusing to him.

"Do you want to play?" he asked curiously, staring at her.

Cross' mood immediately swung from sulky to cheery, and her eyes lit up with sheer excitement. "Like a game?" She liked games. The few nice people at the facility would sometimes play games with her—like go-fish or cat's cradle. She was good at that. Once they even taught her to make something called origami, where she could fold up a square piece of paper and turn it into an animal.

"What kind of game?" She became more curious every second and knelt on the floor, waiting for a response from the ever-mysterious Amaimon.

Amaimon thought for a moment. He wondered if this new demon was good at fighting; fights were a fun thing to play, and time passed by pretty quickly with them too. He didn't get to finish his last fight though, because his brother had stopped him—which he thought was unfair. He even followed all the rules.

He plucked the sweet from his mouth and asked bluntly, "…Would you like to fight?"

Cross stared dumbly at the boy, almost letting the candy fall out of her mouth. "Eh?"

Amaimon sat himself on the floor in front of her and repeated, "Would-you-like-to-fight?"

"That's not a fun game!" she cried, furrowing her brow at him with disapproval. She didn't like fighting very much. Although, the fighting she had in mind was quite different from the type Amaimon was thinking of. The only type of fighting Cross had done was when the mean people at her facility would pit various demons against her while she was defenseless. They thought that her flames might activate under pressure. Evidently, they had been wrong.

"It's fun," Amaimon disagreed, taking the lollipop away from Cross' mouth as punishment. He didn't make any move when she began protesting against him and reaching for the sweet, except for holding his hand up to keep her at bay.

Cross unexpectedly rose up from the ground and stomped her foot. "Okay! I'll play a fighting game with you, but…" Her eyes began welling up with tears and she rubbed one of them with her hand. "…But give me back the yummy thing, please?"

"…Yes, okay. Let's play!" Amaimon handed her the lollipop, much to her relief, and she placed it back in her mouth with a smile. She watched wearily as he walked over to the wall, pulled back the blinds, and opened the window fully. He knew the perfect place where they could play his games. "Follow me!"

"Um…" Cross bit back her tongue and shrunk against the wall. _Oh nonono, he's opening the blinds—not just the blinds, he's opening the __**windows**__! Master said not to! What do I do? This is bad!_

She shuffled nervously in her spot, trying to think of how to stop him. Master would certainly be mad at her for letting this boy open the windows. "M-Master says I have to stay in this room… So I can't go outside," she told him sheepishly, quivering out of nervousness.

The boy stared at her with his usual deadpan expression for a moment. Oh, that was right—he was here for a reason too. "Brother says I have to stay in here too; he's mad at me for breaking his head off."

"_**Ehhhh!"**_

Amaimon closed back the window disappointedly and pulled the drapes. He had been looking forward to a good fight too. But if he disobeyed his brother, he would probably send him back to the Cuckoo House—which he really disliked.

Cross felt a pang of guilt when she saw the disappointment on Amaimon's face. Relieved or not, she couldn't bear to see anyone disappointed, and decided she would have to do something about it. Fighting was off the list, but there were still a lot of games to play. She just had to think of one…

_Um…_

"Oh, I know a game!" Cross exclaimed.

* * *

><p><em>"Setting up pieces for a new game is such a chore."<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Questions? Comments? Criticism? If so, please leave them in the review panel!<strong>

**Thank you very much for reading (and sticking with) _Dance With the Devil!_**


	3. Chapter 2: No You Can't, Dumb Amaimon!

**AN: **Because we all wonder what happens in Mephisto's office when we're not looking.

I'm a slow updater ;_; Sorry for making you all wait, but at least the chapter is long-ish! I hope that makes up for everything!

Thank you so much for all the reviews :D They really mean a lot to me, and I'm glad that you're all liking the story so far. Hopefully I can get some action into the next chapter. If not, well it'll come around eventually. ;A;

And now I present... Chapter 2!

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><p><strong>Dance With the Devil<strong>

**Chapter 2: No You Can't, Dumb Amaimon!**

Yukio hurriedly made his way through the crowded halls of True Cross Academy; he was going to be late for his meeting. Even though he had left with plenty of time to spare, he had still somehow managed to make himself late.

A few moments earlier he had been casually strolling down the halls, thinking to himself, when he was suddenly attacked by a group of fan girls on their lunch break. They insisted that he take all of the bento they had made for him, even though he had told them a million times before that he had brought his own, and practically piled the boxes of food into his hands, despite the fact that he had ever-so-politely declined their offer. And now here he was, holding enough bento to feed the academy's entire population—and late for his meeting.

He sighed to himself and placed the boxes down onto the floor, and rummaged through his pockets for his dorm key. He couldn't carry the bento with him to the meeting; that would be odd, not to mention the food would probably spoil by the time it was over. He unlocked the door and made a dash to the kitchen, where Ukobach was happily preparing today's dinner for him and his brother.

The tiny imp-demon turned to glance up at him from a bubbling steel pot, and gave a quizzical stare after seeing the boy piled high with bento boxes.

Yukio dropped the load onto the table with a grunt and quickly wiped the sweat off of his forehead. "Ah… Ukobach, I'm sorry, but could you please put these in the fridge for me? I don't really have the time right now—"

"—Pardon my interruption, but would you pass me that pink box over there? I haven't had my lunch yet."

Yukio spun around to face the man, instinctively readying his hand above his pistol. Instead of a demon—well, not the type of demon he had in mind—what he was facing now was a rather exasperated looking Mephisto, sitting on a bench with his hands folded against his forehead. The demon rolled his tired eyes up to gaze at the exorcist, and tapped his foot against the floor.

Yukio cleared his throat and reached back to retrieve the pink bento box. "Y-Yes, of course," he complied, grabbing the wooden handle and then setting the box down on the chairman's table. He fixed his glasses afterwards, calming himself, and then said, "Sorry for being late, Sir Pheles, but I was… held up."

Mephisto wordlessly reached down with his right hand and untied the pink cloth around the boxed lunch; something seemed off about his usually teasing self. He popped the lid off of the top, revealing an ample amount of rice and the infamous octopus-shaped sausage, and positioned the matching pink chopsticks between his fingers.

With a mouthful of rice, he said, "Aren't you popular with the girls, Mr. Teacher?"

Yukio smiled halfheartedly and leaned against the wall. _Nope, He's the same as always._

Mephisto pushed the half-eaten bento aside and gestured towards the bench opposite of his, signaling for Yukio to sit. His lips curved up into a mischievous grin and he asked, "Is our little Rin progressing?"

The exorcist sat opposite of the demon and clasped his hands together on top of the wooden table, looking down at them. He thought of Rin's progression in simultaneously lighting candle wicks with his flames, and how he had been training his body to withstand more physical force. His brother had also been taught more about Demonology during his private lessons, but he didn't seem to grasp knowledge as quickly as hands-on experience. In truth, Rin _had_ progressed since arriving at True Cross Academy—not as much as they'd hoped, but it was still something.

"The progression is slow, but he's better than before," Yukio responded, keeping his sight directed at the wooden table top. "He's better in controlling his flames and strength, but other than that… Well…" Other than that, they hadn't really made any notable progress. Rin still commonly received marks under ten percent on his tests, much to the dismay of his teachers.

"And how are you two progressing? I hear that the love between siblings is the most important in the world," Mephisto exclaimed, raising his finger with teasing wide eyes.

Yukio nodded, furrowing his brow. "I'll continue to protect nii-san in my father's stead. However…" He raised his head and gazed at the chairman with skeptical blue eyes. "What are you really planning to do?"

"Like I've said before, Mr. Teacher, I am attempting to bring peace for both humankind and Assiah," he responded with a smirk. It was obvious that the man knew much more than he gave away—one of the reasons why people were untrusting of him.

"…I'll take your word for it."

Mephisto snapped his fingers and grinned. "Excellent! But I didn't call you here to discuss my plans for the near-future."

Sliding his glasses further up his nose, Yukio inquired, "Then what exactly is this about?"

The chairman's grin widened, causing Yukio to feel slightly uneasy, and he turned his mischievous gaze towards the window. The teacher shifted his gaze to the window as well, wondering what that aloof clown was looking at.

Nothing, as usual.

"There is something in my office I need you to take care of," Mephisto murmured. "You could call it… a_ personal _request." He leapt up from the table, twirled his parasol, and cheerfully exclaimed, "Well, time's a-wasting! Let us continue our meeting in my office!"

Yukio heaved himself off of the bench and followed closely behind the clown of a chairman. "Is it really necessary?" he asked, dreading a walk back to the main building.

Mephisto laughed heartily and pranced across the school grounds, twirling around like an idiotic ballerina. "Wouldn't you know that there are things words simply can't explain?"

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, in a class in the main building of True Cross Academy…<em>

"Kyaaa! Did you see Yukio-senpai today? He was so cute!" Misa, a student of class 1-B gushed to her friends. Crowded around her were the usual members of Yukio's fan club, all talking about said person. "He even accepted the bento I made for him!"

Lunch had just ended a few minutes earlier and the teacher was not yet in class, so obviously the students would be chatting loudly with each other instead of studying. In the front of the class, a group of delinquent students were drawing cartoons on the chalkboard, while in the back an otaku clique was having a discussion about the latest dating-sim release.

"I haven't beat it yet. It's so hard to make the main girl fall in love with you because her stupid friend is always around!" Hiro, a slightly overweight gamer, complained. He clutched the gaming console in his hands and flipped through the scenario's options, trying to choose the most reasonable one.

"It's no use!" Kohaku, his otaku friend, agreed. "I've tried every option in that scenario and I only end up losing love points. If you ignore her friend even once, she gets pissed off!"

The two boys turned to look at their third member, a surprisingly handsome and fit brunette boy, and asked simultaneously, "What do you think, Senri?"

The green-eyed student kept his gaze directed at the screen, pushing a few buttons on the game-pad; it seemed as though he didn't hear either of them call him. Keeping his usual nonchalant expression, he turned the console towards the two boys and pointed to the screen, which had an image of a smiling pink-haired girl with the words 'The End' on the bottom in an elegant script. "…I just beat it."

"Woah, seriously?" Kohaku cried, gripping Senri's console in his hands. A look of disbelief was plastered across his face as he beheld the image. "He actually beat it—and it just came out yesterday!"

"Senri's a gaming god!" Hiro gasped, stealing the console away from his friend to have a look. "How did you do it?"

Senri blinked with his empty hands still clamped around an invisible gaming console. "My PXP…"

"Oh right, sorry."

Yukio's fan girls glared at the otaku group in the back of the glass; they were annoyed with them. Amaya couldn't take their chatter anymore, and bravely stomped to the back of the classroom. She slammed her hand on one of their desks.

"Don't you talk about anything other than games, you otaku?" the brunette yelled, annoyed.

Kohaku jumped up from his seat, pointing a finger at the blonde girl accusingly, and countered angrily, "Don't you talk about anything other than Yukio-senpai?"

"At least Yukio-senpai is real—unlike your double-D pixel women!" Misa retorted, waving her arms at the group.

"You girls don't even have a personality as three-dimensional as our double-D pixel women!" Hiro yelled, shaking his console at the crazed fan girl.

Senri sighed and rubbed his forehead as the two groups continued bantering with each other across the classroom, yelling insults and sarcastic remarks. The otaku group had never gotten along with squealing fan girls, and it was pretty obvious they never would. Senri stood up from his seat, deciding that was enough arguing for the day, and placed a hand on Amaya's head.

"I'm very sorry… We did not mean to offend you. If you would like, we can resolve our differences over dinner," he said smoothly, gazing at her with irresistible emeralds. A background of moe-sparkles appeared around his face; an effect that no one knew how the boy produced.

"So moe…" Hiro thought aloud, watching the scene with fascination.

Amaya spluttered at the sudden interaction and became red-faced. "N-No, it's okay really! I think we went a little too overboard…" Flustered, she ran back to her seat, which was now surrounded by girls staring longingly at Senri.

"Senri-san is so good-looking… If only he paid attention to something other than video games," Harumi sighed, placing her head in her hands.

Misa nodded in agreement, but crossed her arms and replied, "But Senri-san is only second-place compared to Yukio-senpai."

"Agreed," concluded all of the other fan girls.

Suddenly, the classroom teacher burst through the door, panting heavily and hurriedly making his way to the front desk. He dropped a stack of books on the table and immediately chased the delinquents away from the chalkboard, then swiped the eraser rapidly across the black surface.

"Good afternoon, class! I apologize for being late, but I had to take care of my Kitty!" the teacher cried wistfully, falling into his chair.

"Is this guy really fit to be a teacher?" Misa mumbled discretely to Amaya.

"I don't even think that's allowed," Amaya responded quietly, shaking her head.

The teacher shuffled through the stack of books on his desk, pulled out a file wedged near the bottom, opened it, and clicked his pen. "Yes, yes, now who would like to read the poem they wrote for homework last night?" he asked, looking around the class.

Surprisingly, one of the delinquents raised his arm and said, "I'll read my poem, sensei."

The teacher smiled and clapped encouragingly. "Wonderful! We're off to a good start today!"

The boy stood up from his seat and held a slip of paper in his hand. He cleared his throat loudly, turned to face Harumi with a smirk on his face, and read:

"_Roses are red_

_Tulips are black_

_Why is your chest_

_As flat as my back?"_

A moment of silence ensued after he had finished.

"…Pfff!"

Everyone in the simultaneously broke into laughter, save for a very embarrassed Harumi. She narrowed her eyes and glared daggers at the delinquent, while the teacher literally smacked his forehead against his desk, regretting his decision to let a _delinquent_ read a _poem_ that he _wrote_.

"That's not funny Kouta! And whatever, you have a lumpy back!" Harumi yelled defensively, holding up a fist towards him.

The teacher sighed exasperatedly and commanded the two teens to sit down. "Alright everybody, settle down. Let's be serious now—I'm grading you on this. Any more volunteers?" Another delinquent raised his hand. "…Besides you guys."

Senri failed to pay attention to the class and continued playing on his game console, not even noticing the outburst that had just taken place. The teacher realized that the teen was playing video games during class and, being annoyed at how Senri was never paying attention, asked, "Senri-san, why don't you read your poem for us?"

Senri, with his eyes glued to the screen, responded politely, "Sorry, but can you wait until I reach the save point?"

"Read it _now_."

The otaku ran his fingers through his hair and put the console down hesitantly, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a neatly folded square of paper. With half-lidded eyes and a background of accompanying moe-flowers, he read:

"_The fountains mingle with the river_

_And the rivers with the ocean,_

_The winds of Heaven mix forever_

_With a sweet emotion;_

_Nothing in the world is single;_

_All things by law divine_

_In one, spirit meet and mingle,_

_Why not I with thine?"_

He then promptly refolded the paper, placed it back in his pocket, and returned his attention to mashing buttons on his gaming console.

"Senri-san…" Amaya squealed, hiding her head in her hands.

"…Yes, yes, good as usual." The teacher ground his teeth and reluctantly wrote an A in Senri's column; that student was always showing him up. His grades were good, he didn't get into trouble, but he was always playing video games and never paying attention to the lessons. How in the world did he get good grades?

"Anywho, next is…" Oh finally, a student that was actually respectable. "Izumo-san."

The red-eyed girl stood from her seat and held a sheet of paper in her hand. "Yes, sensei." Just as she was about to speak, a large quake rocked the classroom, sending students crashing onto the ground and even splitting one of the chalkboards in half.

Panicking, the teacher hid under his desk and cried, "Earthquake, take cover!"

Izumo gripped the window sill and instinctively reached for the white slip of paper in her pocket. Wait, she couldn't summon her familiars in a regular classroom, what was she thinking? Resorting to normal non-exorcist methods, she hid beneath her desk and placed her hands over her head. She knew that this was not an ordinary earthquake because in the brief moment she had looked out of the window, she had noticed none of the other buildings were shaking. This was most definitely the work of someone else.

Or rather, the work of a demon.

* * *

><p>"Oh my, how bothersome this is," Mephisto commented from beneath a hallway table. Yukio had his arms wrapped around the little terrier, having forced them to both take shelter from the falling debris beneath the wooden desk.<p>

"There weren't any earthquake warnings this month," Yukio noted, squinting his eyes to prevent specks of dust from flying into his eye.

The chairman twitched his ears and said, "Well let's go, shall we?" He hopped out of the exorcist's arms and padded down the hall, lazily wagging his stubby tail. "You're not afraid of demons, but worried about bricks, Mr. Okumura?" he teased, noticing how Yukio was still huddled beneath the desk.

Yukio gave him a flat stare and responded, "Unlike you Sir Pheles, if I get hit by a large chunk of ceiling I'll probably die."

Mephisto let out a sigh and continued to trot down the hallway. "Whenever you're ready."

"Sir Pheles!" Yukio cursed, watching the little dog jump up the stairway just a few meters ahead.

Having rid himself of Yukio for a few moments, Mephisto quickened his pace and began running towards his office. He could tell right away that the earthquake was all Amaimon's doing. _You're such a handful, brother. Taking care of siblings is such a chore. _He came to a halt in front of the large white door and mumbled, "Eins, Zwei, Drei." With a puff of smoke, he reverted back to his lovely, demon self.

"_That's bad! If you do that again, I won't play with you anymore!"_

"_But I can't get it right, can't I kill someone? It's quite frustrating."_

"_No, you can't, you dumb Amaimon!" _

"_Please don't do that. …Ah, that's mine, give it back!"_

"_Wah!"_

A slight tremor shook the floor.

Mephisto hit his palm against his forehead and listened to the conversation with disbelief. How could he have forgotten that he had also ordered Amaimon to stay in his office? Not knowing what to expect, he turned the handle and swung the door open, revealing what could possibly be one of the most bizarre sights he had ever seen.

"Master! Welcome back!" Cross exclaimed cheerily, waving at him.

"Brother, we were just playing a game. Do you want to join?" Amaimon asked with the usual deadpan expression, holding up a paper crane in his left hand.

Mephisto rubbed his eyes and asked curiously, "I say… What is all this?" Decorating his office were hundreds of white paper cranes, most likely made from the documents that were in his desk, crammed and piled into every nook and cranny of his room. He wondered how two demons could manage to make such a large amount of origami—and in less than half an hour at that. Perhaps he could make a profit off of such ability.

"Master, we were seeing who could make the most cranes before you came back," Cross explained, flashing the baffled demon a toothy grin. She had her long tail wrapped around the ceiling fan, and swung back and forth with one of Amaimon's overly large lollipops in her hand.

Amaimon looked up at her from the ground, reaching with his free hand for the stolen sweet as he jumped. "Pyon…" he said, creating his own sound effect as he took another leap. He swiped his hand through the air, attempting to grab the lollipop from her hand. Just as it seemed as though he would grab hold of it, Cross moved her hand away and Amaimon landed on the ground empty-handed once again.

After realizing his attempts were futile, Amaimon casually strolled over to the wall and flicked a switch, which set the ceiling fan in motion. He and Mephisto watched as Cross was sent spinning through mid-air, crying out in protest and begging for them both to stop the "torturing session."

"Someone help! This is a scary thing!" Cross cried pleadingly as she made another round through the air.

Mephisto shook his head and winced as Cross was thrown from the rotating blades and sent crashing into a picture frame. Amaimon simply stared and licked his lollipop, which he had somehow retrieved in the midst of all the commotion.

"I'll have a discussion about this with you later," Mephisto mumbled, sparing his brother an annoyed glance.

"Hmm…" Amaimon hummed, pretending not to hear.

Mephisto placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and looked out into the hallway, where the echo of angry footsteps could be heard. He tapped Amaimon's head three times with his parasol and said, "Eins… Zwei… Drei!"

"Brother…!" Amaimon protested, but disappeared in thin air before he could continue.

"I'll deal with him later. Right now, let's take care of you, agreed?" the chairman laughed, gripping the limp tail of an unconscious Cross and setting her upright on the floor.

"…Mrph?"

"Oh my." Mephisto quickly dusted her off and reverted his office back to its previous, non-vandalized state. He then pulled the cat-like hood of the sweater he had previously made her change into over her head to conceal her face, hid her tail beneath the seams, and moved her dazed body into one of the velvet chairs. Lastly, ever-so-casually, he retrieved a cup of tea from his desk and took the seat beside hers, sipping the drink as if nothing had happened in the first place—just in the nick of time, too.

Yukio rounded the corner of the doorway, somehow unscathed by Amaimon's tremors, although he did seem rather miffed at being left alone in a crumbling hallway. He straightened himself up, fixed his glasses and, maintaining his professional attitude, asked, "So what is it I need to take care of, Sir Pheles?"

Mephisto set his cup of tea down onto a porcelain plate and gestured to the hooded girl sitting beside him. He smiled with satisfaction as Yukio's blue eyes widened understandingly, staring at her with confusion. "If you would, I'd like you to take care of her for me."

Yukio shifted uncomfortably and frowned ever-so-slightly. "Wouldn't one of the teachers or dorm advisors be better suited for this?"

"That would be the case. However, she will not yet participate in regular or cram classes, but requires special training in… exorcism." _Or bluntly, everything in the world._

"An apprentice exorcist?" the teacher guessed, thinking that would be the most logical case.

Mephisto laughed and placed a hand on Cross' head, running his fingers through the grey fur on her hood and rousing her from her slumber. "You could call it that, if you want." He leaned closer to the demon and added in a voice so quiet, only she would be able to hear, "_Don't speak yet, or else you will ruin the show."_

Cross nodded slightly and kept her mouth closed, despite not knowing the event that was currently taking place.

"What is this exactly?" Yukio demanded, tired of games.

Mephisto paused briefly before grinning at him, and took another sip of tea. "My, my, aren't you impatient, Okumura-sensei?" he responded teasingly, flashing his green eyes. Yielding no response from the exorcist, he sighed and placed his drink on the desk, then brushed the cat-like hood away from the girl's face, revealing the dreaded set of pointed ears and Rin-like facial qualities. "Say 'Hello onii-san,' won't you?"

Cross rubbed her eyes and yawned heavily, revealing two rows of sharp, white fangs. She stretched her arms, causing her fur-tipped tail to involuntarily slip out from beneath her sweater, and flashed a toothy grin towards Mephisto. "Master, I had a nice nap!" she exclaimed, not noticing the shocked boy standing a few feet away from her.

Mephisto gave her a flat stare and placed a hand on her head, turning it towards Yukio. A pregnant pause ensued as Cross and Yukio had a standstill with each other; Cross blinking at him in awe and Yukio staring at her in shock and disbelief. Cross became immensely curious at the new visitor and instinctively began walking towards him, wanting to get a closer view.

Misinterpreting her actions, Yukio pulled out his gun. "_What game are you playing at?_" he nearly growled, pointing the weapon towards the girl.

Panicking, Mephisto ran from his seat to place his hands on Cross' shoulders. "Don't get worked up now. She isn't going to harm anyone." Yukio glared angrily at him, and placed a finger over the trigger; he was seriously thinking of firing. "Mr. Teacher, don't go assuming things!"

Cross, curious as she was, grabbed the end of Yukio's pistol and looked into the bullet hole with fascination. "Wow! It's really dark—and what's that silver thing in the back?" she exclaimed, effectively ruining the dramatic tension in the room.

Yukio watched dumbfounded as the girl prodded around his pistol, carefully avoiding hand-to-hand contact with him. "…I am at a loss for words," he resigned, sheathing the weapon after realizing the non-aggressive nature of the demon.

Cross blinked and looked at his now empty hand and mumbled sulkily, "I wasn't done with that yet…"

Mephisto, relieved that the tension was broken, returned to his seat and crossed his legs. "Shall I explain the situation to you?" he asked, gesturing to the empty seat beside him. Yukio complied and sat down in the ornate chair, much to Cross' dismay. She frowned and leapt up to the ceiling, hanging from the fan by her tail once again.

Yukio vaguely wondered if Rin was capable of hanging from his tail like she was.

"Firstly, it would be better if this information was disclosed between the two of us—" Cross blinked. "—pardon me, the three of us." Mephisto took a break to sip his tea, and rolled his eyes to Yukio. "It would be most convenient," he added, noticing how skeptical Yukio seemed to be of this whole matter.

Hesitantly, Yukio agreed and waited for Mephisto to continue his explanation.

"I'm only going to explain this once; if you don't hear anything, I won't listen to any of it," he said, watching as Cross dangled from the ceiling fan, eavesdropping on their conversation. "Anyhow," he continued, "The girl you see here is, in fact, the world's first living artificial demon!"

Yukio arched his brow. "Artificial demon?"

"Yes, yes, artificial demon. Meaning, she was created by people in Assiah, and not born as a natural demon in Gehenna. But to be more precise, she is a fraternal _clone_."

"And the person who she was cloned from—"

"—is your brother, Rin." Mephisto confirmed, nodding with satisfaction. "Which also means that she is Satan's daughter. However, she does not possess Satan's flames—only his appearance. Isn't that tragic?"

"But why would you develop another one of Satan's spawn?" Yukio couldn't fathom the reasons behind bringing the child of the most hated demon willingly into the world.

"Ah, that my friend…" Mephisto paused for dramatic effect and took a sip of tea. "…is because Rin was originally going to be raised as a human, and you did not possess any of Satan's powers. But think of the possibilities! If we could replicate Satan's power and use it against him, the exorcists might have a chance of bringing themselves out from the defensive position and into the offensive. It would be an opportunity to bring down Satan himself."

"Not only that, but by creating a clone, we could make the mindset of the demon to that of which we desire. In other words, we could create non-resistant demon. Her immediate purpose is to become a weapon for the exorcists to wield against Gehenna."

Yukio listened to the explanation intently. It was true; by cloning demons, they could create an army that would obey them without any resistance. "But it was unsuccessful because she can't use her flames," he added, now understanding the situation.

Mephisto nodded in response. "Precisely! There is the possibility that her flames will activate, once given enough time. That is why I am asking you, who has already had the experience of caring for a son of Satan, to watch over her."

"**HOWEVER!**" he pointed to the exorcist, a smirk on his face. "You must _not_ let anyone see her—don't even let them know she exists! Understand?"

Of course, he just had to make things more difficult. "…I understand." Yukio rose from his seat and began heading towards the door. "However, you had better increase my pay for looking after both her and nii-san."

"Nii-san," Cross repeated as she jumped down from the ceiling fan, landing with a dull _thud_ behind him.

Mephisto laughed heartily and waved a slip of paper in the air. "Oh, of course! Here is one-hundred yen for your efforts. One-hundred yen items are fascinating!"

"_Isn't that a little too cheap?_" Yukio muttered, refusing to take that small of an amount of money. Heck, he had another mouth to feed!

"Well, fifty-yen things are wonderful as well…"

Yukio swiped the hundred-yen note from the chairman's hand and grumbled, "I'll take it…" then strode out of the room in a dignified manner with an enthusiastic Cross following closely behind.

"Bye Master! I'm leaving now!" she announced cheerfully, swishing her tail.

Once the two siblings had left, Amaimon made a reappearance in the seat next to Mephisto, stuffing his mouth with a bag of chocolate-chip cookies. Mephisto snatched one of the snacks from the bag and placed it in his mouth before informing his brother, "You know, you're going to have to pay for ruining my precious Academy."

"I know," Amaimon responded, staring blankly at the door ahead. "What should I get this time?"

Mephisto thought for something that was absolutely essential for him to have. "Oh! Why don't you go and find me a matching set of Honey-Honey Sisters zori? The pink ones are quite rare!" he suggested, snacking on another one of the cookies.

Amaimon widened his eyes and stared at his brother, cookie crumbs decorating his mouth. He swallowed forcefully, still managing to keep a blank expression, and protested, "Ah, brother that is even more difficult to find than the Honey-Honey Sisters yukata. I would have to use a website such as E-Bay to find it."

"But I must have the complete set. I'm looking forward to wearing it."

"Brother… you're an evil!"

* * *

><p>Cross skipped happily behind Yukio, obediently keeping her cat-hood over her head and tail tucked properly away. The entire walk from the main building had been silent; she had no idea how to communicate with humans, and Yukio had no idea where to start a conversation with her—not that he was keen on doing so. Many times he had opened his mouth to say something, but would immediately close it shut after seeing the demon's big, blue eyes intently staring at him.<p>

_Like the eyes of an owl_, Yukio thought with a shudder.

Cross was used to silence—being brought up in isolation and everything. Besides, this was a happy kind of silence, wasn't it? She tilted her head up toward the sky, watching a group of crooning pigeons fly overhead. She unknowingly came to a halt, fascinated at how the creatures could effortlessly fly through the sky. She wanted to do that too—it looked like a lot of fun. Maybe this person called "Nii-san" could teach her how to later.

After the flock of birds disappeared behind the clouds, she noticed how far ahead the man had gone, and quickly ran after him. "Nii-san wait, wait! You forgot about me!" she cried, panicking at the thought of being left alone in a strange place.

A spike ran through Yukio's veins after being called "Nii-san." It was so unusual; he had been calling Rin "Nii-san" his entire life, and now suddenly being called the older brother… He shook his head. So strange.

"Sorry," he apologized, half-forcing smile onto his face. "I got carried away thinking about… work."

Cross blinked. "Work?" she asked, baffled by the term. She had heard her guards complain about coming to "work," and how boring "work" was. Oh, maybe this person had to guard people too! "Nii-san, you guard people like me as well?"

Yukio continued walking to his dorm, thinking of how to reply. Well in a way, yes, that was part of his job; he had to protect his brother, a demon like her. And in a way, no, he exorcised demons and taught people about exorcism. "Well… I guess sometimes it's like that," he admitted, not making eye-contact with the girl.

"Is work boring?" She attempted to match Yukio's brisk pace, jogging in order to keep up with him.

Yukio smiled more naturally now, slowly easing away the awkward tension between them. "It can be sometimes, but because my work helps people I don't mind it at all. There are times when work is fun, too." Seeing the smiles on people's faces after he had rid them of their demons made it all worthwhile.

Cross widened her eyes in realization. "Nii-san…" she gaped. "…You are very kind!"

Yukio looked down at her, and couldn't help but laugh at the blatant fascination on her face. "We hardly know each other and you're already saying things like that?"

"It's okay, I can tell!" she grinned, wagging her tail out of habit. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when Yukio immediately stuffed her tail back under her sweater to prevent anyone from seeing it. "H-Hey! Hide your own tail!" she protested, flinching away from him.

Exhaling his relief at no one seeing her tail, Yukio offered her a stern glance. "Please make a better effort to hide your tail… There would be trouble if anyone saw, understand?"

"Yes nii-san, sorry…" she apologized, dragging her feet across the pavement. She disliked being scorned; a reason for why she was nearly one-hundred percent obedient—kind of like a lapdog.

Yukio rummaged through his pockets and fished out his dorm key. He unlocked the doors of the building and walked inside, holding them open for the new resident. "Well, I guess you'll have to stay here for now, even though it's a boy's dormitory…" he announced, sliding his specs further up his nose. "My brother and I are the only ones who live here—besides Ukobach. You'll have to be careful not to be seen by Nii-san."

"I'm excited!" Cross exclaimed, zooming into the dormitory at full speed.

"_She wasn't listening at all…_" Yukio sighed, pulling the door shut.

The adventurous demon made a sharp turn through the nearest doorway, entering the dorm's famous dining area. Known for its pleasant aromas and tasty consumable meals—all courtesy of Ukobach and Rin—it is a popular place for Yukio's fan girls to look at through the window.

The room was brightly lit, occupied by rows of spotless tables and red chairs, but the walls were dirty and old, worn from beige to brown over the countless years. Behind the dining area lay the stoves and counters used for cooking, and still stirring a large, steel pot was Ukobach.

The imp looked back with a glare at the intruder, raising the wooden spoon to point at her. Cross skidded to a stop at the kitchen's doorway, sniffing the air and drooling over the tasty aroma coming from the pot.

"Uwah… It smells _really_ good here…"

Ukobach jumped off of his step ladder and angled his tiny body towards her, frowning with disapproval at her unauthorized entry. "_You're not allowed to cook here. Wait outside!"_

Cross widened her eyes. _Demon telepathy!_

"I don't know what cooking is, but that smells really good!" she gasped, pointing to the bubbling pot with her finger. Her stomach growled loudly, reminding her that she hadn't eaten for the past two days, and sent her reeling to her feet. "So… hungry…" she choked, over-dramatizing her hunger.

Ukobach rubbed the back of his head and stared at the demon on the ground. Well, the stew was ready, and he did need someone to try it for him. Plus, the girl didn't even know what cooking was, so there was no threat there…

"_Do you want to… eat this?"_ Ukobach asked hesitantly, reaching for a glass bowl on the counter.

Cross groveled on the floor and clutched the fabric over her stomach dramatically. "Hungry…!"

The imp spooned some of the stew into the bowl and hopped down from the counter to stand in front of her. He cautiously held out the meal with his hand and, after smelling the food right below her nose, Cross immediately sat up and took it from his grasp. She happily thumped her tail against the ground and opened her mouth wide.

"Let's eat!"

"_Wait! You can't eat it like that!" _Ukobach said, placing his huge hand between her mouth and the bowl. He quickly retrieved a spoon from the dish rack and handed it to her, much to her confusion. _"You have to eat it with this, or else you'll waste a large amount."_

The hungry demon stared dumbly at the silverware, not knowing what it was or how to use it. She twisted and turned it, amazed by how it caught the light, and asked "What is this for?"

"_You use it to scoop up the stew. Don't you know that?" _Ukobach replied, now realizing how clueless the girl was.

Cross shoved the spoon into the bowl, accidentally creating a small crack in it, but managed to catch some of the potatoes and pieces of meat. She widened her eyes in wonder and brought the spoon closer to her mouth, but quickly realized that she couldn't eat with a hood over her head. She promptly pushed the hood back, revealing her face to a now very startled Ukobach.

Ukobach's jaw dropped and he took an involuntary step back. _"Rin… You've turned into a girl!"_

* * *

><p><em>"Now that the opening act is complete..."<em>

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><p><strong>Questions? Comments? Criticism? If so, please leave them in the review panel!<strong>

**Thank you very much for reading (and sticking with) _Dance With the Devil!_**


	4. Chapter 3: Food Problems

**AN: **Because we all wonder how Amaimon goes shopping.

This was really frustrating. Why? Because my software was corrupt, meaning I had to wait almost a week for my PC to be repaired. (Also, I have become hooked on playing MH Tri again. Such a boss game.) So that's why this update took so long.

Anyhow, a huge thank you to everyone who reads this fic. You guys rock! *fist pump*

I loved reading all of your feedback, and I've decided to start replying to reviews next chapter, so if you have any questions please leave them there! (I'm not doing it this chapter because frankly, I am exhausted.) Sorry everyone!

Thanks so much for your love and support, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and stick around for the next!

Seriously, please do. ;_;

* * *

><p><strong>Dance With the Devil<strong>

**Chapter 3: Food Problems**

"_Rin, you've turned into a girl! But how?" _Ukobach cried, falling back onto the kitchen tiles.

Cross swished her tail happily and savored the flavor of the stew in her mouth. She had never tasted something so delicious in her entire life; even Amaimon's other-worldly candy couldn't compare to the imp's superb culinary skills. It was soft and saucy… and very filling. She put the half-eaten stew onto the floor and wiped her lips with her sleeve as she had been taught to do.

A light chuckle escaped from her mouth when she saw the exaggerated shock on Ukobach's tiny face. The people here were so silly compared to the ones at her facility—and what was a Rin?

"I'm not sure what you mean, but thank you for the food! It was very tasty," she grinned, patting the demon's head in appreciation. Her hunger sated, she then stood up and turned about-face to explore more of the dormitory, but found that although she was walking, she was not moving forward.

The girl struggled to walk, moving her feet so quickly that they sent clouds of dust up from the floor. "What's going on?" she demanded loudly, attempting to move yet again. A terrible thought suddenly struck her; what if her feet were broken? If something broke, it had to be fixed to work again. She knew that.

Hit by the pole of realization, she cupped her hands around her mouth and called for help. "Nii-saaaan, my feet aren't working! I think they need to be fixed!"

Ukobach went unnoticed as he gripped Cross' tail, preventing her from leaving the kitchen area. This was definitely bad—it could even be considered horrible. What would Yukio think when he saw that his brother had been turned into a girl? More importantly, there was no one else around to blame!

He gasped. Yukio would probably think _he_ was responsible for Rin's gender swap!

The two demons froze as they heard Yukio's footsteps echoing down the hall. He was coming to look for Cross.

Cross' eyes literally sparkled with excitement. "He listened! Nobody's ever listened to me before…"

"_This is really bad!" _Ukobach panicked, pulling Cross further away from the doorway. He had to find a way to dispel this… this _black_ _magic_ before Yukio found out about it. Oh, he hoped Rin would forgive him for what he was about to do.

The imp lifted up the girl effortlessly with both hands—which was surprising considering his size—and dropped her into a large stainless steel pot he had set out on the counter. He then slammed the lid onto the pot to keep the female-Rin from escaping and wiped the sweat away from his forehead.

That was close.

Cross struggled vigorously against being placed in the cooker and banged loudly against the walls with her fists from the inside, startling Ukobach to the degree that he fell from the countertop.

"Let me out! Why do you have such a large cup anyway?" she demanded, continuing to make a ruckus inside the pot.

"_Don't worry Rin, I'll get you back to normal. Then we can cook like we usually do!" _Ukobach replied reassuringly.

"Don't make me angry. I'm warning you—I can be super scary, see?" Cross bared her fangs, making her look more like a fussy kitten than a ferocious demon. It didn't matter either way—Ukobach couldn't see her through the stainless steel.

But of course, she had already forgotten that.

Ukobach hopped onto the counter and forced a smile onto his face as Yukio walked into the dining area. It seemed as though Rin had finally calmed down though, since he wasn't banging his fists on the pot anymore. Maybe being a girl made you more emotional—not that he would know.

Yukio looked around the room for any sign of the dark-haired demon, hoping that she hadn't managed to escape from the dorm. He didn't have time to chase after another one of Mephisto's "experiments"; he had a class to teach in about four hour's time, and there were still lesson plans to finalize.

He noticed Ukobach shifting rather uncomfortably on the countertop, which probably meant he was hiding something—or someone.

"Ukobach, have you seen a girl around here?" he asked, flitting his eyes around the room. He gestured to his shoulder and added, "She's about this high, and she's kind of…" He sighed. "Clueless."

Ukobach looked up at him and scratched his head._ He already knows? If that's the case, he probably won't suspect me of anything. What a relief!_

The imp bobbed his head and pointed to the stove behind him, where he had hidden Rin inside one of his pots. Hopefully Yukio would be able to fix this, or else he could probably never cook with Rin again!

Yukio peered over Ukobach's head and blinked. What was the demon pointing at? The stove? That girl was hiding in the _stove_? "I'm afraid I don't really understand all of this…"

_What's so hard to understand? I'm telling you he's right there in the po—WHAT? _Ukobach gawked; the pot was gone. But it was just there a few seconds ago! Who could've carried such a large—and heavy—pot away so quickly without attracting his attention?

Yukio fixed his spectacles and requested Ukobach to explain what had conspired in the kitchen just a few moments earlier, to which the little demon reluctantly agreed. He took the nearest scraps of paper towel he could find and—with a pencil—drew pictures and wrote explanations beneath them to convey to the exorcist what had just occurred.

He nodded in agreement whenever Yukio pieced together bits of information and, after receiving the full story, pointed to the window which had been pried open in his absence. Yukio immediately thanked him and dashed out the door, loading his pistols for safety measures. For someone to carry out that heavy a pot with such secrecy and ease, they would have to be a tough opponent.

* * *

><p>A lone green goblin danced around on the roof of True Cross Academy's clock tower, purring and growling to itself with anticipation. His Master had left to get them both a bite to eat a half hour earlier, and had commanded him to stay put on the roof, lest one of the rookies from the academy spot him and attempt to exorcise him.<p>

…Although, that would have probably been a good laugh.

The dark clouds began snaking their way across the sky, signaling to the familiar that if his Master didn't come back soon he would be completely soaked in the oncoming downpour. Impatient now, he paced back and forth, twitching his tail in agitation. He was hungry, alone, _and_ had a muzzle over his mouth—not exactly a desirable situation to be in.

But then praise the demons! There flying through the air, coat flapping in the breeze, was his Master, Amaimon. The little goblin rejoiced and gurgled triumphantly as he pulled against his chain.

Amaimon landed silently on the roof with a large, steel pot in his hands. It was abnormally heavier than the previous days he had stolen it from Ukobach's kitchen, but whatever his brother's familiar made always tasted decent, so he wasn't really concerned. It just meant more food for him and Behemoth.

The demon king placed the pot onto the ground and knelt in front of the goblin, patting its head fondly, to which it purred in response. He took the muzzle off of Behemoth's mouth, tossing it aside, and edged the pot closer to him.

"It took a little longer than expected because of the exorcist. I would have killed him, but brother said not to. I hope you didn't wait too long because of me, Behemoth," Amaimon said calmly, nibbling on one of his fingernails. Behemoth growled with contentment and kneaded the bricks beneath his feet in response. "Alright then, let's eat!"

A blur burst out from the pot when Amaimon took the lid off, sending it flying off the roof with a loud clang. Behemoth was mildly startled and bared his teeth at the unwelcome guest, slowly beginning to change form. Amaimon simply placed a hand on his head and told him to stop, or else brother would probably punish them again.

"I had a nice nap!" Cross yawned, unfurling her tail and stretching her arms. She quickly registered the fact that she wasn't inside of the dorm building anymore, and looked out at the vast expanse of clouded sky above. What was happening? Why did the sky change color? "I made the sky angry by being noisy!" she cried in horror. She padded over to the edge of the clock tower's roof, overlooking the entire True Cross Academy Town.

A long passenger-train puffed along on a set of tracks circling the large campus, and alighted her curiosity when she heard the chiming sound of its whistle. She would have to ask Master if he would let her sit on such an interesting thing.

Large, majestic buildings were clustered all around the area, and she could see a group of—what she assumed to be—students leaving their classes for the day.

"You're not edible," Amaimon mumbled in disappointment, breaking the demon out of her trance. Behemoth echoed his disappointment with a soft snarl.

"K-Kyaa!" Cross nearly fell off of the roof after being startled; she didn't realize there were other people here. She whipped her head around and bared her fangs at the Demon King, not seeing who he was, and whined, "Don't startle people like that! I'll—Oh!" Her face lit up. "It's Amaimon! Hey, give me another sweet thing."

"Now I'll have to go buy something instead," Amaimon rambled on, looking for the nearest convenience store. Maybe he could get instant ramen. He would eat candy for every one of his meals, but he found that they just weren't filling enough, much to his dismay.

Cross continued to pester him for candy, searching through his pockets while he was not paying attention, locked in his own thoughtful trance. Behemoth snarled at the girl and made a lunge; no one should prod his Master in such a way. How dare she—he would rip her to shreds!

The demon broke free from his chains, gaining strength from his fit of rage, and tackled the poor girl to the ground, attempting to gnaw off one—or two—of her limbs. Cross shrieked and pushed with all of her might against the goblin, who appeared to be getting… larger? Amaimon paid no heed as his familiar assaulted the daughter of Satan; he was too busy thinking about what to have for launch.

Behemoth tugged at the strands of hair on the side of her head. Oh, it _hurt_. What had she done to the little animal in the first place? Was taking naps not allowed here? Would he let her go if she apologized? And it hurt even more because now he was digging his claws into her arms and it was painful, so very painful.

But she had felt worse.

She winced and hesitantly placed her hands on the side of the demon's head, attempting what she had done with other demons in her facility. She smiled cheerfully and said, "I'm sorry if I offended you! I promise if you just tell me what it is, I won't do it again. We're both demons, so let's get along, okay?"

Behemoth faltered for a moment; he hadn't been expecting kind words after maiming the girl, and it wasn't his fault that his natural instinct was to kill things. Kind words were just too confusing for him to comprehend. It didn't look like his Master was hurt either…

Amaimon snatched Behemoth away from Cross, a slight frown on his face. "This is mine, you can't have it."

Cross sat up and cocked her head curiously. She then pointed to the bundle of green in his arms. "Oh! Is that what you would call a pet?" she asked enthusiastically, wagging her tail.

The Demon King seemed to be taken aback by the statement, but kept his usual deadpan expression. "What… Behemoth is my partner. You're the devil, thinking something like that…" he replied, turning away from her.

"_Eh? _I'm not, you dumb Amaimon_!_" Well that was offensive.

Behemoth was placed back on the ground, now muzzled, and re-attached to the pole. He gurgled incoherently and folded his arms beneath his head, lying like a sulky dog because _dammit_, he was hungry. Amaimon let a sigh escape from his mouth and looked down at a shop a few blocks away.

"I have to eat now," he announced, hinting for the girl to tag along.

Cross stood up and stared at him, annoyed. "I already ate; I don't wanna go with you." Maybe she was a little too blunt for her own good.

"If you seduce the shopkeeper for me I'll get a discount," he continued thoughtfully, ignoring her previous statement. It was her fault he didn't have anything to eat in the first place—the least she could do was get him a price haggle.

"Seduce?" What the heck was that? Sounded yummy—food perhaps? "Can I eat it?"

Amaimon blinked, and a ghost of a smile crept across his face. This would be interesting. "I don't know. You should ask him that."

Cross thought for a moment, but unanimously agreed. "Okay, I'll go with you!" she cheered, forgetting all about Yukio and staying in the dorm.

Behemoth watched the conversation with a vague interest. This girl was too gullible for her own good; it would only lead her to disaster. And if it was his Master that she was getting involved with, well, what would you expect? He was a Demon King, for Gehenna's sake.

Amaimon leapt off the roof effortlessly and flew through the sky, his coat billowing behind him in the wind. Cross watched in awe as he soared above the buildings; she never dreamed of him being able to fly. Hopefully he could teach her how to do it later.

"I want to eat now. Don't make me angry."

Cross widened her eyes and bounded forward. "Wait for me!" she yelled, taking a large leap off of the clock tower. She landed silently on the roof of the Academy's main building, but quickly sprung across to the next building before any of the students who were in the courtyard could register the fact. She couldn't fly, but jumping was her forte.

Amaimon flew high above her as she darted across the rooftops, and the two demons quickly made their way to their destination.

* * *

><p>Yukio leaned against the wall for support as he came to a stop. Mephisto's experiment <em>really<em> wasn't worth his time, and that girl was so much trouble—how was he supposed to keep someone from seeing her if she went off on her own the second he looked away? He'd checked everywhere he could think of—he even went as far as to check outside the school's campus for heaven's sake! How far away could she have been taken in such a short time?

He exhaled and fixed his glasses, which were on the brink of falling off his face. There was still another two hours before cram class began, so maybe he would be able to find her—oh what was he thinking? How in the world would he be able to find a demon like _that _by himself? If only he could ask someone for help, then maybe he'd have a chance…

Just as he thought all hope was lost, a certain fur-tailed shadow flew over him, and he immediately recognized it as the girl's—Cross, was it? He made a dash after the blur, although it was at least two times faster than he was, but he refused to give up after he now knew she was still in the Academy town.

A group of fan girls called out to him as he ran by, but he paid them no heed, much to their disappointment.

"Yukio-senpai! Where are you going?" one of the girls called out as he rounded a corner.

"Sorry, I'm a little busy at the moment!" the teacher apologized, continuing to give the demon girl chase. He then vowed to himself that someday—_somehow_—he would perform exorcism on Mephisto. Hell, if push came to shove, he would exorcise that girl as well. How many burdens was that crazy clown of a headmaster prepared to give him?

_In two hours… I will definitely bring you back!_

* * *

><p>Two figures wearing long, black raincoats rounded one of the corners of True Cross Academy Town. The downpour had already begun, and as they walked, their feet pattered loudly against the pavement; it seemed as though they were in a rush. Many of the pedestrians shied away from the two, weary of their ominous aura and the inability to see their faces.<p>

A small chime signaled the entrance of the two figures into the convenience store; one simply passed by lethargically while the other waved enthusiastically as the store clerk greeted them. The taller of the two walked towards the section where instant-food was located, and paused to consider the options displayed before him, while the other darted about the shelves, inspecting and touching every item she saw.

Eventually, the shorter person found her way to the coolers where flowers were kept and, not knowing what a fridge _was_, walked behind the glass and poked the array of roses and daisies in the vases. She flinched when she heard a slam behind her, realizing that the door had just shut behind her. She banged against the glass desperately, crying for someone to let her out.

The store clerk watched awkwardly as the taller man nonchalantly opened the fridge and dragged his clueless companion over to the instant-ramen isle, not saying a single word. The two of them paused to think through the variety of options, inspecting each of the labels and the prices that came with them.

"Chicken… Shrimp… Fish…" the taller of the two mumbled under his breath as he ran his fingers over the labels. The shorter leaned closer to the shelves and sniffed daintily at the plastic containers, which the store clerk thought was insanely weird, but he made no comment on it.

"Wow! There's so many…" the shorter gasped, but was interrupted by a slight sneeze. Her hood fell off, revealing what the clerk thought to be an adorable navy-haired, blue-eyed student. Although she did have abnormally pointed ears, that was only a slight drawback to her appearance.

The taller wordlessly grabbed one container from each product line, and conveniently placed them into the girl's open hands, to which she objected, "That's way too many, you dumb-head!"

"Just buy it," the tall figure said, turning away from her as if he were dismissing the statement and going off to another section of the store.

Reluctantly, the girl took the twenty containers of instant-ramen to the checkout counter and placed them on the countertop. She looked up at the store clerk—a boy in his late teens—with innocent, wide eyes and said, "Um… I'd like these please! If it's not too much trouble…"

Entranced, the clerk nodded and agreed, processing the items as he stared at her openly. Cross smiled warmly at him and tilted her head slightly to the side in response, trying to charm him as much as was possible—that was what Amaimon had told her to do after she had failed miserably at being "seductive."

"_Don't… Don't ever do that again!"_ he had commanded her. She didn't even know Amaimon could make that kind of facial expression.

After the store clerk had finished ringing the containers through, he promptly placed the items into a plastic bag and handed them over to her shakily. She snatched the bag from the teen and bowed politely, said "Thank you very much, kind sir!" and skipped out the door giddily. She was followed by the other hooded customer, who once again walked by lethargically without acknowledging him.

"What strange people…" the clerk murmured to himself. It was then that he realized the girl had never paid for her purchases.

* * *

><p>Cross dashed around the street corner, feeling slightly jittery at having made contact with yet another human. She clutched the plastic bag in her hands tightly and let out a relieved sigh; she'd done it!<p>

She flinched when she felt pressure on both her shoulders, but it was only Amaimon looking over her head to confirm she had gotten his lunch.

She held out the bag with both hands to him and grinned. "Amaimon, Amaimon, did I do a good job?" she asked eagerly, wagging her tail beneath her raincoat.

The Demon King took the load from her hands and gave her the usual blank stare. That wasn't half bad; he didn't even have to speak—or pay for that matter. "Yes, that was a good job."

Cross' eyes nearly sparkled from being praised, and she looked up at him happily, exclaiming, "I've been praised. Please bestow your accolades upon me!"

"…Good girl," Amaimon said, shoving a lollipop into her mouth. How could she know a word like accolades, but not have a clue to what a fridge was? Well either way, the girl had done her part, and now he had some food for Behemoth and himself—no sense lingering around any longer. He was _hungry_.

Seeing as how the sky had finally cleared, he then pulled back the hood from his head and leapt into the air. "Time to eat, see ya around!" he announced, disappearing into the blue expanse above.

"Bye Amaimon!" Cross waved from the pavement, rolling the sucker in her mouth. She looked around at the unfamiliar array of buildings and pavement; where was she? She blinked and teetered to the corner of the alleyway, peering out from behind the brick walls for anything she could go on.

A van zoomed past her, blaring its horn, and she shrieked in surprise. What was _that_? Such a scary thing… She looked out onto the road again, this time greeted by a large, honking truck. Frightened, she ran out onto the sidewalk and shot through the crowds of people passing by, some startled and some amused.

_So scary!_

Panting heavily, she leaned against the wall of another alleyway to catch her breath. What kind of place was this? It was fine being with Amaimon, but by herself it was terrifying!

Just as she was about to go into panic, she heard a familiar voice.

"_Cross-san, where are you?"_

Nii-san! Nii-san was looking for her! Touched, her eyes began to water; nobody had ever cared for her—it was just too much to take in all at once. She looked out once more and saw the familiar brown-haired teen wearing his black teacher's coat. He ran across the wet pavement, calling out for her desperately because there were only thirty minutes left on the clock.

"_Please come out!"_

"I'm here, nii-san!" she cried out, bounding towards him across the street. She darted in between the oncoming cars which honked loudly at her—some of the drivers even cursed at her as they drove by.

Yukio could only watch helplessly as she weaved her way through the onslaught of traffic. Several times he had commanded her to go back to the sidewalk to wait for him, but she adamantly refused to, saying that she was coming to him.

Eventually, she made her way to the other side of the street, slipping rather ungracefully on the slick pavement (was there even a graceful way to slip?) and crashing head-first onto the sidewalk in front of Yukio. She hugged his leg and whined, "Nii-san, it was scary! This is a scary place!"

"Don't go off on your own again!" Yukio nearly yelled, stressed over how much time he had wasted looking for her.

He sighed after seeing her heart-broken facial expression and attempted to shake her off. "You really are a handful." He continued his futile attempts at trying to shake her off of his leg, to no avail. "Could you kindly let go of my leg, Cross-san?"

"No," she refused, childishly sticking out her tongue.

Yukio shifted uneasily under the glares of the other pedestrians; this was going to harm his reputation. _Badly_. He probably wouldn't be able to walk on broad daylight without being called a pervert after this ordeal. "But I can't walk if you're attached to my leg—you'll get scraped on the sidewalk," he countered, crouching down and prying her fingers from his ankle. He added reassuringly, "Just follow me and it'll be fine."

A moment passed before Cross sprung up from the ground, suddenly cheerful, and bobbed her head. "Okay nii-san, whatever you say!"

He frowned. "You'll listen to me now, but not when you're jaywalking…"

"I went shopping today!" Cross exclaimed, punching her fists into the air and expertly changing the subject.

Acknowledging her childish attitude, Yukio responded as his father would to a much younger Rin, "Oh really? Did you have fun and buy good things?" Wait a second, where in the world did she get money from?

The demon gave a quick nod and grinned. "It was really fun! I bought a lot of plastic cups!"

"Plastic cups?"

Cross continued to ramble on about the inside of the convenience store and all of the "amazing" things that you could buy there, and Yukio had no other choice but to listen. She reminded him a lot of how Rin used to act when he was around five or six years old, and the nostalgic feeling made him smile. This time around, however, _he_ was the older brother.

"…And there was chicken and shrimp andfishand…" A deep breath. "…Big cups and small ones…"

Yukio rubbed his temples exasperatedly. The hope that Cross hadn't inherited too much of Rin's chatty-childhood-personality had been ruined.

"Okay, okay! I get it, the store is very convenient."

Cross widened her eyes in realization—she had just experienced a "eureka" moment. "So that's…!" she gawked. "That's why it's called a convenience store…!"

Yukio smacked his palm against his forehead. "Dear lord…"

"Are we praying now, nii-san?" she asked curiously.

Yukio shot her a hopeless glance. _Someone save me…_

* * *

><p>Yukio cleared his throat and picked up a book from his desk, preparing to begin his lecture. He flipped through the pages of the thick, black book, and retrieved a piece of white chalk from his desk. "Now if you could all turn to page two-hundred-and-thirty-four of your textbooks, you should find everything you need to know about the lesson plan for today," he announced, writing the title of the lesson down onto the board.<p>

Izumo opened her textbook to the desired page, taking in its contents. So today's lesson was about… repelling demons of the family of the King of the Earth? Hadn't they already gone over this subject?

"Excuse me sensei, but haven't we already gone over this subject?" she interjected, pausing the lesson.

Yukio began his detailed drawing of the Demonic Elements chart on the chalkboard, not even sparing a glance as he replied, "Yes, but we will be discussing the topic further in depth, Kamiki-san."

"It's because of that earthquake earlier, isn't it?" she added.

Yukio paused. "…Yes, this is simply taking precautions. Our Academy is most likely being targeted by the Earth King." He then resumed drawing the five-point star in the middle and continued, "As we have discussed, demons of the King of the Earth's family are weak to techniques involving the King of the Air's family, as well as…"

Izumo scoffed. She had already read through the entire section about the family of decay; this would just be a waste of her time. Bon became agitated at Izumo's overly-confident behavior, but somehow managed to restrain himself from yelling across the room. That girl really pissed him off.

"Under rare circumstances, Earth demons can be subject to weakness from techniques involving the King of Fire's family, depending on whether their abilities are rooted directly to the ground or to plant life."

Shiemi furrowed her brow, concentrating on the lesson and writing down the key points in her notebook; it wouldn't be bad writing them down again, just to make sure. Plus, Anti-Demon Pharmacology wasn't really a subject she excelled in…

"Ah!" Shiemi exclaimed, raising her hand into the air. "Yuki-ch—I mean, Okumura-sensei, I have a question!"

"What is it, Moriyama-san?" he asked automatically, acknowledging her.

Her face became flushed—a red that would put strawberries to shame. "U-Uhm… This doesn't have anything to do with the lesson, b-but… There are only five elements…" she stuttered in a barely audible voice.

Yukio waited.

"So… There are only five elements…" she continued, slightly less nervous. "…But there are Eight Princes of Gehenna! I was just… wondering about the other three because we've passed the subject of the Princes, b-but that hasn't been explained…!" She had to admit that she had become increasingly curious about the Eight Princes, mostly because of the ordeal with Amaimon during their "summer camp."

Yukio returned to labeling his diagram and replied apologetically, "I'm afraid that it isn't my position to discuss that with you. It is forbidden for that information to be shared with Exwires, and will also be a lesson taught by the Demonology teacher in the future."

Shiemi immediately lowered her head to her paper, avoiding the teacher's gaze. "Ah… S-Sorry Okumura-sensei!"

"Don't apologize; the will to learn is always welcome in a class," Yukio said, offering her a smile smile. "I'm glad to see the effort students put forth into their studies."

"Y-Yes!"

Shima rested his head in his hands and stared at the board lazily. Cram class was so much more boring ever since Rin had been entered into a different curriculum—and he was a pretty cool guy too! It must've been terrible for an energetic guy like him to be forced into learning in solitude.

The minutes ticked by quickly as Yukio continued the day's lesson—about a half-hour long, as was the allotted time for each class. A large portion of written work was independent study, which was why cram classes were so short compared to normal classes.

As boring as the class seemed, the sudden disruption that came a few moments later undoubtedly made it one of the most interesting lessons Yukio had ever given.

The dull sound of footsteps echoed down the hall, barely loud enough to be heard by the class. Izumo, however, never missed anything, and immediately began questioning the source of the sound. Every student that was currently taking the cram class was here, so it couldn't possibly be one of their own…

The majority of the cram class students stiffened as the footsteps came closer to their classroom's door, some of them even readying themselves to summon familiars or recite mantras on the off-chance that it would be a demon.

…And it was!

The door burst open, and a cheerful navy-haired demon skipped into the class, carrying a polka-dotted box. She pranced over to Yukio, who stood frozen in shock at the board, and beamed up at him proudly.

"Nii-san, you forgot your dinner!" she announced, shoving the bundle into his hands.

Yukio stared at her in horror and dropped the piece of chalk from his hand. Coming into an exorcist cram class at a time like this… How the hell did she even manage to get into the building anyway? She needed one of those magic keys that only Mephisto gave—

Realization hit him like a tidal wave; this had Mephisto written all over it. That bastard was purposefully making his life difficult.

Bon immediately burst from his seat, his face twisted in both shock and confusion. "Okumura-kun, you piece of crap, what the hell is this?" he demanded loudly, aiming his words at the demon girl.

Shima widened his eyes and gawked at the girl as well. "Woah, Rin, I didn't know you were that type of guy—you don't look half bad!"

"Have you lost your head, idiot?" Izumo commented, officially deeming Rin as an "idiot pervert" in her mind.

Shiemi was at a loss for words—what could she even say in a situation like this? Her best friend… dressed up like a girl? "I don't think I can handle this…"

Takara turned his rabbit puppet toward Cross and using ventriloquism, commented, "Stupid cross-dresser!"

Konekomaru clasped his hands together and recited, "God created man and woman… God created man and woman…!"

Cross smiled at Yukio, not taking notice of the outraged students around her, and asked, "Nii-san, what's the matter? Aren't you hungry?"

"_Not very much, thank you_…" the teacher choked in response.

* * *

><p><strong>DUN DUN DUNNNNN *Dramatic music*<strong>

**Questions? Comments? Criticism? If so, please leave them in the review panel!**

**Thank you very much for reading (and sticking with) _Dance With the Devil!_**


	5. Chapter 4: Tremendously Troublesome

**AN: **Because we all wonder how Yukio deals with children (or at least people who act like them).

Hot diggity-dog, I'm alive! I've been really busy getting ready for school, so I haven't really had the time to sit down and write something up. I hope you'll forgive me n_n

Once again, a huuuuuge thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, subscribed, and read this story! I can't tell you how excited I get, seeing all those alerts in my e-mail xD

**I do urge you to review chapters you read-it's a simple and easy way of saying that you care about a story, or saying thank you. This goes for not just me,** **but for every writer out there. It gives us something to work from.** C:

This chapter is shorter than the others, but I do hope you'll enjoy it!

*****If you did not review, then feel free to skip the review response section, lest it ruins your reading experience.

* * *

><p><strong>Review Responses:<strong>

**Yorukifon: **Cross isn't a troll, she's a demon! *serious face* Hahah, glad you're getting a good laugh from little Cross :D

**pyon-chan: **Oh man, I can't even tell you how awkward that's going to be xD Especially for Rin! It's not every day you meet a less intelligent clone-version of yourself, eh?

**howlingwinofthestorm: **Or... is it? *Cue more dramatic music*

**Yami-chan: **Oh Yukio, that sly dawg. He gets out of almost every situation-that's why he's one of my favorite characters xD I feel as though I could squeal like a little fangirl after hearing you call my story awesome ;_; Thanks so much!

**black strained rabbit: **I'm happy hearing that you like Cross n_n I just wanted to make an OC that was really different from the others in the AnE fandom (most people usually don't take a liking to OCs). Thanks for telling me! c:

**cloudyskysrain: **I'm sure Mephisto is having a fun time watching this play out as well... huhuhu.

**xxSweet Memory: **Gah, I'm flattered ;_; Hearing people say they like Cross just warms my heart (omg cheesy), but it's true I tell you! :D And well, a cross-dressing Rin. Hmmmm... Wouldn't that be interesting if it were true :P

**xZweix: **Y-Your favorite? Really? I think I can die happy now! :O Glad to hear I have the canon characters in-character (I've had to re-write scenes a few times because I make them seem OOC sometimes). And here's the next update for ya n_n

**Thank you for all the kind reviews, everyone! Now, let's get on with the show!**

* * *

><p><strong>Dance With the Devil<strong>

**Chapter 4: Tremendously Troublesome**

"Ehh? But I came all this way and everything! You must take it!" Cross pressed, repeatedly shoving the polka-dotted bundle into Yukio's hands.

Yukio glanced around the room nervously, noting the bewildered expressions of his students. This certainly wasn't the most desirable situation for him to be in. He had to come up with an excuse, and a believable one at that. But what explanation could he possibly use?

…Wait, had Takara just called her a cross-dresser?

Yukio widened his eyes. _That's it!_

"What the hell's going on, Okumura? Like I'd let a cross-dresser kick Satan's ass!" Bon spat, his expression teetering between confusion and rage. "Get out of here!"

Hearing Bon's outcry, Cross turned her head stiffly, realizing after an _unreasonable_ amount of time that there were, in fact, other people in the room.

Human people. "_**Hieeee!**__"_

Yukio quickly clamped a hand over her mouth to prevent her from uttering any other words and began etching his way to the door. As he struggled, he professionally announced: "I apologize for this disturbance, but it seems as though there is something my_ brother _wishes to discuss. Please excuse us…"

Shiemi stared at the two of them blankly, hand poised above her notebook. "Yuki-chan… Why is—" she started, but was unable to continue. What, was she really going to ask why Rin was dressed like that? In a cat-hooded-sweater-dress? Was he cosplaying?

—Well, she _had_ caught Rin reading shoujo manga once. Pretty awkward… He'd made her swear not to tell anyone about it.

Yukio calmly explained, "As punishment for being unable to lift the weights, nii-san's being forced to cross-dress by Shura-san. I hope this hasn't been too disturbing for everyone. Now excuse us…" He ushered Cross out the door impatiently, crossing his fingers and hoping to high heaven that his explanation was _somewhat_ believable.

Konekomaru gazed at the door trying to comprehend what had just happened. "That's very harsh of Shura-san…" he said absentmindedly, trying to clear his head of all thoughts of a female Rin. This would leave quite an emotional scar on him.

"Poor guy. There goes his manhood," Shima agreed, scratching the back of his head.

Honestly, Yukio couldn't believe they had actually bought it—definitely a zero for common-sense.

Cross widened her eyes and swished her tail. What was going on? Yukio looked kind of unhappy at the moment, but for what reason she was unable to comprehend. She'd visited him at work and had even brought him food—Octo-sausages. And as Mephisto had put it, his "favorite"!

He'd said people liked receiving presents at work…

Yukio could only sigh at her contemplative expression. She'd only been here for a few hours and look at all the trouble she'd caused. For crying out loud, how far was Mephisto willing to go to make his life miserable? Wasn't putting his life on the line for _one _demon good enough?

The crazy old coot wasn't satisfied with anything (except cosplaying—and that was only a maybe).

"Mrrf mmph, mm mrr mfph," Cross blurbed, her mouth still covered by the teacher's hand.

"No," Yukio stated. "No, I will not uncover your mouth. You're being very troublesome—not only for me, but for everyone else at this academy."

Cross blinked. Troublesome? "Mrr?"

Yukio hardened his eyes and nodded. "Yes, really. If people found out that you even exist, everything would be cha—" Wait, use childish terms with a childish mind. "Things would become… very bad."

"Mrd?" Bad? Even she knew bad wasn't a good thing, and when things were bad, people were unhappy. Cross wanted people to be happy with her. "Mmph mrrt!"

Yukio furrowed his brow. "If you want to make me happy then make yourself useful for once and stay out of my sight."

His harsh words forced even himself to stop and think. The only way he had been able to get his messages across to others was to be stern, straight-forward, and plainly blunt. He knew that this especially hurt Rin's feelings, but it was the only way to get him to listen.

Most importantly, he was not especially skilled with being sympathetic; he had never learned how to be, what with everyone at school bullying him around and Rin—

"Neef-shwan."

He looked down at the pair of blue eyes below his and shook his head slightly. "Look, Cross-san, just—"

Cross grinned and pulled Yukio's hand away, much to his surprise. The feeble-looking girl was actually quite strong. Then again, she was Rin's clone—and a demon. It made perfect sense for her to inherit that superhuman strength of his.

"I'm going to go home and apologize to you, nii-san!" she announced, saluting to him as a marine would to their commander.

Yukio felt a strong urge to hit his head against the wall. Go home and _apologize_? "You're supposed to apologize to people when they're right in front of you—and don't go off on your own _again!_"

"I will go and do something good to make up for this bad idea!" she continued, taking no heed of his words. She was absolutely determined to patch up the holes with her new-found brother.

"You're too loud—"

Cross grinned and placed a finger over Yukio's mouth. "Strewth! I must make haste; night is upon us!"

"_It's already night!" _He paused. "And since when have you had a large vocabulary?"

"Hmmmm…" Cross hummed, matching her curious eyes with Yukio's incredulous stare. What would he be happy with her doing? She hardly knew anything about him, so it would be difficult to decide on an option…

Ah, wait—was he frowning at her?

Cross stuck her tongue out at him playfully. As little as she knew, she did know one thing: Yukio hardly ever smiled. Maybe Ukobach or Amaimon would be willing to help her… Speaking of Amaimon, where did he go, anyway?

The chime of the old clock tower echoed across the school campus, causing Cross to realize how much time she had spent idling. Panicking, she waved her arms and cried, "I'm going back to that place, nii-san!" all the while preparing to make a dash for it.

"Wait—" Yukio made a grab for the teen as she whipped around to bound down the hall, but was unable to get a hold before she sprang forward, zipping across the walls like a bat out of hell.

She was _fast_.

With an exasperated sigh, he picked the abandoned bundle of food off of the floor. "I can't stand this…" he mumbled with an irked smile, and returned to his classroom.

Kamiki arched her triangular brows he re-entered the room, noting his stiffened movements and agitated gaze. Were those twins fighting again? Typical. She never fought with her older sister—what was their problem? Sibling rivalry?

—Not that she cared about either of them, anyway. Rin was an idiot, and Yukio was… well, he was just Yukio.

The teacher placed his parcel onto the desk, cleared his throat, and continued as if none of the previous events had ever occurred. "Where were we? Oh yes, earth-demon precautions…"

"What an amazing guy," Shima remarked.

* * *

><p>Senri strolled across the school blacktop, game console in hand, occupied with the world of dating sims. <em>Why, <em>he thought. _Why did your parents have to meet such a terrible end, Mizuki-chan? I must save you from your misery! _He then plopped himself down on a wooden bench and fervently worked on "saving" the heroine of the game.

A lone set of footsteps made their way towards him, and he lazily rolled his eyes up after sensing the presence of another human being, wondering who could be out at this time of night. Who he saw, however, caught him by surprise—and it wasn't a very good surprise.

"You've always got your nose in that useless piece of plastic. It's pathetic, really."

Senri gave her a flat stare, keeping his head raised despite the strong urge he felt to look down at his screen. Well, those certainly were not the most inviting words he had ever heard. "Kamiki Izumo of class 1-B. Good evening," he responded politely.

Izumo placed her hands on her hips and furrowed her brow. "Don't greet me so casually like that, otaku. What's a person like you doing out at this hour? It's past curfew."

She couldn't help but fume to herself as the brunette stood up and walked past casually, ignoring her question and keeping himself occupied with his game.

She hated Senri with a burning passion. That boy was always in his own little world, but still managed to keep up with her in school. Not only that, but his nonchalant and strange attitude irritated her to no end. What exactly was that guy?

"Isn't it suspicious that the class prez is out so late at night as well?" Senri stated absentmindedly, turning his head back to look at her pointedly. "Shouldn't you be more of a role-model?"

During day class, Izumo was known as the classroom president of 1-B—a title that she had fought for vigorously. Izumo's face became flushed and she retorted angrily, "I was actually _studying_, unlike you—"

Senri poked his head out from behind his screen, staring at her with flat, cat-like eyes. "Sorry, but could you allow me to reach the save point before we continue our conversation?"

"I'm not having a conversation with you, idiot!" the girl nearly yelled, becoming flushed when she realized she almost had.

Senri paused momentarily to contemplate her angry retort before shrugging and continuing his progression through the dating simulation. He allowed himself a small smile and replied, "Sure thing, prez," then began tapping his screen lazily.

Out of the blue, he fished out a pen from his pocket and began doing math on his palm, furrowing his brow and shaking his head. Izumo watched the unusually _charming_ boy from a distance as he attempted to solve his problem, perplexed by every movement he made. Honestly, she had no idea why she was still sticking around.

"This is terrible," Senri stated finally, pursing his lips.

Izumo gave him an irritated glare, not understanding what he meant. "Is math too hard for an idiot like you?"

He automatically shook his head and spoke to himself absentmindedly, "I finished this dating simulation in less than half-an-hour. It was hardly challenging…"

Izumo couldn't believe this stupid, perverted otaku guy. What a pig. "I'm leaving; go back to your room too, before the night watchers find you—unless you want to get in trouble, then I don't really care," she commanded him harshly, stalking off in the opposite direction.

"Oh? Prez is concerned about me, although she calls me an idiot?" the brunette pondered aloud. "How sly you are."

Izumo cringed and nearly froze hearing those words, but forced herself to continue walking. "I hate people like you. Plus, that didn't make any sense at all."

Senri watched as she fumed to herself silently, waiting for her to turn around after realizing she had made a dramatic exit in the wrong direction. "Prez, the girl's dorm is that way," he reminded her.

Damn, he was right. "Sh-shut up. I already knew that," Izumo snapped back, her face red as a tomato. How dare that lowly gamer embarrass her like that!

She mumbled one final insult under her breath before storming off towards the girl's dorm, not taking notice of the slip of paper that fluttered out of her pocket.

Senri eyed the paper placidly as it fluttered in the breeze, making no notion to inform Izumo about it. "Good night, prez," he waved cheerfully, the air behind him almost seeming to glow with moe-moe flowers.

"…_Creep."_

Returning to his nonchalant expression, Senri saved his game and slid the black console into the folds of his school blazer. He wondered why Kamiki Izumo of all people was constantly out to insult him and criticize him, even though he had tried his best to stay as far away from her as was possible.

Real girls were such difficult creatures to understand. They were so alien—so weird, he could never hope to comprehend them.

"Nothing like the girls in my games," he mumbled, exhaling into the crisp air of night and patting his pocket fondly.

Just as he was about to head home, a flash of white caught his eye. He reached out with his hand to grab the unidentified object as it flew in front of his eyes, and studied it with mild interest. It was the same paper that had fallen out of Izumo's pocket.

He unfolded the perfect, white square and looked over its contents intently, trying to analyze what was drawn on the surface. He thought it to be some sort of intricate circle, although where he had seen it before he could not place his finger on. It certainly was familiar… like a symbol used for some sort of ritual, perhaps?

He smiled helplessly and placed the neatly folded paper into his pocket. "Didn't know prez was interested in black magic."

* * *

><p>"All right, Ukobach! We have to work hard for nii-san!" Cross announced, blazing with fiery determination.<p>

"_What are you going to do, Cross?"_ Ukobach asked, carefully setting a tray of freshly baked bread onto the counter.

Cross drooled momentarily at the sweet sugary-flowery aroma before she could respond. Ukobach was such a good cook, it made her heart all happy and warm whenever he'd made something new. Of course she'd eat everything that he'd deliberately asked not her to because it was just _so_ good! Plus, Ukobach said he didn't mind as long as people said that they enjoyed his food anyway, so no harm there.

The little familiar watched as she struggled with her thoughts and loomed of the bread tray hungrily, readying himself with a wooden spoon in case she made any attempts to try and consume his latest creation.

After a moment, she turned around with an enigmatic smile and cheerfully admitted, "I haven't decided yet!"

Ukobach felt as though he could have fallen off his stool because of the sheer idiocy she was emitting by the words she spoke. _"You shouldn't just call people to help you when you have no idea what you need help with!" _he scolded, waving his large hands at her angrily. _"And don't come into my kitchen whenever you feel like it!"_

"Ah, but…" She looked around at the walls of the dining hall, noting their faded colors and uncleanly brown mold growing in the long-forgotten corners. "_**Hieee!**__ It's really kind of gross in here…!_" she exclaimed, the fur on her tail standing up on end.

Ukobach's eye twitched; that was too offensive. _"If you don't like it then clean it—and why do you suddenly change topics like that?" _he replied angrily. Geez, being so rudely blunt like that… this girl… But it was true that the rooms were in a bit of a mess.

"_Why are you upset, Ukobach?" _a childish voice asked from around the corner. A little black cat with two horns on its head came slinking through the doorway, swishing a set of twin-tails behind him curiously. He lifted his head up at the counter and widened a pair of yellow eyes—one of the most prominent features on his face.

"_Oh! It smells like Ukobach's bread!" _he exclaimed, padding across the floor tiles excitedly.

Ukobach panicked, taking up arms with a spatula. _"Wait, Kuro! It still has to set before it can be eaten!"_

"Wah… Ukobach really does make the best bread…" Cross swooned, munching on none other than the sweet bread the little stove-spirit had just made—and deliberately told her _not_ to eat. "I think I've finally lived after tasting this thing…"

Taken aback by being ignored, Ukobach snatched the half-eaten bun away from her, instead replacing it with a light whap on the head from his spatula. _"I said not to eat them yet!" _

"_Ukobach is really a good cook, like Rin!" _Kuro agreed with Cross as he chowed down on the other half of the bun that had been placed on the counter by Ukobach.

"_You two… You're both idiots…!"_

Cross paused and turned to face the demon cat stiffly, blinking repeatedly as she observed him. Kuro seemed to realize this and looked up from his meal, taking in the blue-eyed demon in front of him. The two remained at a standstill for a few minutes before Kuro perked up and gawked at the familiar face.

He widened his eyes and backed up against the end of his chair. _"R-Rin! Is that you, Rin?"_ he cried out, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Cross stared at the cat dumbly. Who was this Rin everyone was talking about? She gestured towards herself and cheerfully corrected him, "I'm not a Rin, I'm Cross." Her eyes then began to sparkle very noticeably as she made an advance towards Kuro. "Is this…"

"_It's not Rin? It doesn't smell like Rin, but it's close to Rin," _Kuro gasped, flicking his ears.

"_I thought that too, but it really isn't Rin. Yukio says it's a look-a-like," _Ukobach informed him, shrugging nonchalantly.

Cross pat the cait sith's head happily and asked, "Is this what you would call a dog?"

Kuro's tail twitched, and he glanced up at her wide-eyed. He was a cat—not a dog. Or rather, a cait sith to be precise. Why would she think he was a dog? _"I'm not a dog. I'm Kuro!_"

"Eh? But you have two ears, fur, four legs, a tail and everything!" Cross replied, gesturing to each part of his body that she'd mentioned.

Ukobach smacked his palm against his forehead in disbelief. "_Cross, Kuro is a cat—or a cait sith," _he muttered, folding his arms and continually shaking his head. Idiots were everywhere around him nowadays.

Cross nodded understandingly. "I understand now—Kuro is Kuro!"

Kuro raised his paw and gave her a fangy grin. "_Kuro is Kuro!" _he agreed happily.

"_What is this…_" Ukobach grumbled, irritated.

"Anyway, anyway!" Cross waved her arm, dismissing the current conversation. "Kuro, help me make nii-san happy! I've upset him a lot, so now I'm going to apologize," she said, filling the cat in on the current situation.

Kuro curled up and closed one of his eyes, gazing up at her in surprise with the other. "_You mean Yukio?_" he inquired, purring contently to himself.

Cross nodded. "Yeah, that guy with the shields over his eyes! I've decided to clean up the dorm, so he's going to be really happy when he comes home from work!" she smiled enthusiastically, bubbling with excitement at the thought.

"_But he's a little scary…" _Kuro mewed, shivering at the thought. _"Aren't you scared of him at all?"_

Cross looked up at the ceiling in thought and scratched her head. "I don't think so… Nii-san's very kind and nice to me, and he doesn't hit me like those other people did…" She shook her head. "Nii-san's the nicest person ever!"

"_He's intimidating, but he has good manners," _Ukobach agreed, approving the thought.

The cait sith yawned and stretched, unfurling his twin tails and perking his ears. "_I guess I can help as long as I don't have to talk to him… But you'll have to give me something in return. I can't trust you yet."_

"Whaddya want?" Cross asked, leaning on edge.

Kuro thought about all the things he wanted most: a new toy, to go outside more, another play-mate… _"I want an offering of fresh fish every day,"_ he decided, his mouth watering at the prospect. A fresh fish every day, just like in the past with the villagers… That really hit the spot!

"What's a fish?"

Kuro gawked at her. _"You don't know? Fish is the best thing in the world—besides Shiro's present!" _

Ukobach sighed. "_I'll show you later, Cross."_

This was fine with Cross, so she agreed with it. How hard could getting one fish a day be?

A loud clamor in the kitchen suddenly caught their attention, and Ukobach immediately made a dash behind the counter, ready to viciously attack anyone who intruded his kitchen. _"You…! You're the one that's been stealing my food! Oh, if I weren't your brother's familiar, I'd—"_

A muffled reply came from the next room over. "Oh, I didn't think you would still be here. Usually you're back with brother by now."

Cross' eyes lit up and she flung herself through the kitchen door, recognizing that ever familiar deadpan voice. "It's Amaimon!" she exclaimed, wagging her tail at full speed.

Amaimon stared at her flatly from the window sill, where he held back the blinds with one hand and gripped the ledge with the other. He recognized the girl as the one who had gotten him a free meal, so he acknowledged her with a simple, "Oh, it's you again."

"Amaimon, you have to help us!" Cross pleaded. She placed her hands on the countertop and struggled to climb on, despite the fact that she could easily leap across rooftops, in hopes of becoming eye-level with him.

"I don't have any interest in helping people…" Amaimon stated bluntly, giving her an odd look. What kind of person just waltzes in and demands a Demon King to help them, anyway?

Cross grinned widely in response to this, making the latter demon feel slightly uncomfortable. "That's great. I'm a demon, so you'll help me!" she announced, using her small sense of logic as best she could.

Amaimon shook his head. "I only like playing games. Work is for my subordinates…" he refused plainly, looking around the room for food.

Ukobach watched as Cross continued to pester the Earth King, unable to believe that someone would actually have the courage to do something so stupid and reckless. Didn't she know that this guy was capable of taking off her head in seconds if he wanted to?

More importantly, why wasn't he? Ukobach was surprised that he was able to keep his cool after being bothered so casually by someone much weaker than him. Normally, they'd have been long-dead.

Amaimon shifted on the window sill after having enough of being pestered, and prepared to make his quick escape. "I'm not helping you, but if you want to play later then that's fine," he announced, giving her a final salute as he turned to leap out the dorm. "Ciao!"

"You dumb Amaimon!" Cross yelled stubbornly, frustrated by his continuous refusal.

Ukobach flinched. Had she really just called Amaimon… dumb? Oh, surely the Demon King would unleash his wrath now that he'd been insulted.

Instead of unleashing a full-scale natural disaster, Amaimon responded by turning back and giving her tail a quick yank, then fleeing through the window. He returned for a brief second later, but only to quickly snatch a bun from the counter.

Ukobach fumed, shaking a fist towards the window. "_You—!"_

Cross yelped after having her tail pulled and followed with a flurry of incomprehensible babble aimed at the sky. Eventually she finished with one last "Dumb-head-Amaimon!" before turning away to begin her cleaning process.

"_You're not very smart," _Ukobach sighed, wiping the beads of sweat off of his forehead. To be honest, he was relieved that Amaimon had decided not to help him, being the no-good thieving pointy-head he was.

Cross flashed Ukobach a quick smile and tied on one of the frilly, pink aprons hanging from the coat stand around her waist. "You don't have to be smart to make people happy. Now then, let's get started, shall we?" she asked, grabbing a broom from the dusty cleaning closet.

Kuro grabbed one of the dust trays in his mouth and said that he'd hold one of these for Cross to put the things she swept up in, while Ukobach grabbed his own janitor mop-bucket combo and rolled it into the dining hall.

If they were lucky, things wouldn't become hectic. There was only an hour left before Yukio and Rin would both come home though.

* * *

><p>"Yukio, you didn't save any of it for me?" Rin whined, looking over the empty contents of a polka-dotted food container. "I'm a growing man, you know!"<p>

Yukio's brow twitched in irritation as he and his brother walked together towards their dorm. "I don't recall seeing a man anywhere around here," he responded dryly, snatching the cloth away from him.

Taken aback, Rin raised a fist defensively at his brother and retorted, "I'm more of a man than you, spotty-four-eyes!"

Yukio decided to ignore any further conversation after that and stared at the pink cloth in his hand. That whole ordeal had really caused a lot of trouble for him today, and then he'd been worrying for the rest of his classes about whether or not Cross was at the dorm or causing trouble for him.

He shoved the cloth back into his coat and frowned. Either way, she would have to be dealt with seriously. A rampant demon was not going to stay with him or his brother unless he could mend its attitude.

What bugged him the most though was the fact that she was a clone. Cloning was a practice banned by the Vatican decades ago, and heavy punishment would be placed upon anyone who broke that law.

So then why did Mephisto make a clone of his brother? What was he really planning to do? This all had to be part of a bigger picture—Shiro Fujimoto's death, Mephisto conveniently sheltering them both, Amaimon appearing at the Academy, the gamble with the Vatican, and now…

"Oi, Yukio, are you having a bad day or somethin'?" Rin asked, holding the wooden doors open effortlessly.

Yukio snapped his head up and walked inside, putting on a forced smile. "No… It's nothing—just a lot of marking to catch up on."

Rin flashed him his signature toothy grin and swished his tail. "Right! Hey, Yukio, give me an A and I'll do something nice for ya!" he exclaimed, hoping for a way to somehow boost his marks.

"That's not up for me to decide. Really, nii-san, cheating… I don't see you becoming the "best exorcist ever" like that." He smiled enigmatically, adding, "You're really a disgrace, nii-san."

Rin was prepared to retaliate against the statement when he noticed something was a little bit off. "Hey…" he started. "Kuro's not here… And Ukobach is pretty quiet too, don't you think so?" He ventured further down the hall, sniffing here and there as he went along. The sight would have been quite odd for anyone other than Yukio. "Someone else was here earlier…"

Yukio forced himself to swallow and hid his expression behind his pair of glasses. "Since when are you so observant, nii-san?" he inquired, hoping to take his brother's mind off of the matter.

Rin immediately scowled and hunched over. "Shura was…" he muttered, but was interrupted by a loud crash in the kitchen and the sound of a girl's outcry. Concerned, he made haste down the hall and burst through the dining hall doors, sheathed sword in hand.

His brother hurried after him, praying over and over to heaven above that what was happening was not what he thought was happening. To fail a task after only a few hours was shameful—especially to an exorcist such as himself.

He paused beside a rather stiff Rin, who stared unmoving at the sight before them.

"What…" Rin choked, blinking several times to make sure he was seeing correctly. Yukio echoed his reaction with a chorus of blank stares.

"Yukio, what is… going on… here…_?_"

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah Yukio, what's going on here?<strong>

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**Thank you very much for reading (and sticking with) _Dance With the Devil!_**


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